Welcome to my third tiny talk about dementia,
Which has the title How We Talk About Dementia.
When we interact with people who have dementia,
It is common that we focus on what we have lost.
Although it makes sense,
It results in a negative spiral.
When focusing on losses,
You may feel frustrated,
Like going around in circles or a deep sadness.
When dementia develops,
People become even more sensitive to such emotions,
And they will respond to them.
Some of the terms we use when talking about dementia also do not help.
The demented.
Firstly,
All too often I hear or read the term the demented or demented people.
Using demented as an adjective or even a noun,
Defines the person.
They become the disease.
We prefer to talk about people living with dementia or someone who has dementia.
Alzheimer's disease.
In recent years,
The pioneers in dementia care have started referring to all dementias as syndromes,
Like Down syndrome,
Where we focus on inclusiveness and integration.
BPSD,
Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia,
And neuropsychological symptoms of dementia.
These terms both imply that these symptoms,
Like depression,
Aggression,
Agitation,
Stem from the dementia.
Dementia cannot be cured,
So we just have to put up with these symptoms.
In the Netherlands they now use the term misunderstood behavior,
Which shifts the paradigm.
It provides us with an opportunity to explore what need underlies the expression.
This creates an opportunity to change something in the physical or social environment.
As an example,
We worked with a man who would upset everyone around him in the residential facility,
Because he was dragging furniture across the shared living room.
He stacked chairs on top of tables,
Chasing those who were seated there away.
He was labeled as restless and aggressive,
Because of his dementia.
When we asked what he was doing,
He shared that he was preparing his workplace.
He had been a motor mechanic.
All of a sudden,
His behavior had a purpose.
We were able to distract him from this behavior by creating meaningful activities related to his previous occupation.
