Communication Strategies Flashcards

When a person with dementia asks repeatedly for a deceased spouse, the best response is to:

Answer: Enter their reality and respond with empathy without repeatedly announcing the death

Entering the person's reality and responding with empathy prevents repeated emotional trauma from re-learning a loss each time.

Which principle of validation therapy involves acknowledging the emotional content behind a confused statement rather than correcting the facts?

Answer: Empathic reflection

Empathic reflection validates the feeling behind the words, reducing distress without arguing over factual accuracy.

A dementia patient is agitated and using aggressive language. The FIRST communication step should be:

Answer: Lower your own voice, use a calm tone, and ensure personal safety distance

A calm, low voice reduces emotional escalation and models the de-escalated tone you want the person to mirror.

Touch as a communication tool with dementia patients should be used:

Answer: After obtaining implied or explicit consent and observing the person's response

Consent and ongoing observation of the person's response ensure touch is therapeutic rather than distressing.

Which environmental modification most directly supports successful verbal communication with a person who has dementia?

Answer: Reducing background noise and ensuring adequate lighting

Reducing noise and improving lighting removes sensory competition that impairs the person's ability to process verbal input.

When using written cues to supplement verbal communication for a person with mid-stage dementia, the notes should be:

Answer: Short, large-print, positively worded single instructions

Short, large-print, positive single instructions are easiest to decode when reading comprehension is declining.

The 'FOCUSED' communication program for dementia care stands for Face-to-face, Orient, Continue the topic, Unstick communication blocks, Structure with yes/no, Exchange conversation, and:

Answer: Direct eye contact sustained

The D in FOCUSED stands for 'Direct eye contact sustained,' reinforcing attentive, face-level engagement throughout the interaction.