Dementia and communication
The effects of dementia on communication will vary
significantly from person to person, and over time. So it is
important to recognise the needs of the particular
individual.
In general, people with dementia may not find the following
easy:
- finding their way to and around unfamiliar places
- noisy venues or anywhere with background
distractions
- concentration
- retaining information
- reading complex or lengthy documents
- doing two things at once (e.g. writing whilst
listening).
 Audio quote: James
Audio quote: Linda
Audio quote: Ross
Key actions
Some of the ways you can support someone with dementia to
engage are:
- give the person time to speak and express their
ideas
- avoid speaking for too long
- make sure the person can see your face, and make eye
contact with them
- give written reminders of appointments and other
arrangements you have agreed
- keep things simple and concise
- produce written documents in an easy to read version (i.e.
summarise key points and put important information in
bullet points)
- budget for the person to be accompanied by a supporter,
if they want that
- make sure all staff involved in events are aware of how
best to support the communication of people with
dementia
- provide reassurance and understanding.
 Dementia:
further information
Dementia and
communication (MS Word)
Dementia and
communication (Adobe PDF)
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