Dementia friendly training encourages patience, helpfulness
By Heather Ruenz
Editor
“Most of us walk in a room on occasion and forget what we went in there for, but we can usually remember it eventually. A person with dementia can’t remember,” Bonnie Beam-Stratz said.
She was speaking to the nearly 20 people in attendance at a train the trainer program at Peoples Bank in Elkhorn Jan. 19, to teach businesses, churches and community members how to be more dementia friendly.
Beam-Stratz, Alzheimer’s Association Community Outreach Coordinator out of Fort Atkinson, said often, there are no obvious physical signs a person has dementia.
The types of dementia include: Alzheimer’s disease, Frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body disease, vascular dementia and reversible dementias. Of those, Alzheimer’s accounts for 65 to 80 percent of all cases, followed by Lewy body or vascular at about 15 to 17 percent each.
“Approximately 30 percent of the people with dementia live alone and one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia,” Beam-Stratz said.
Distinguishing between dementia or age-related changes can be challenging, Beam-Stratz explained.
Typical age-related changes include: a person making a bad decision on occasion, missing a monthly bill payment, or sometimes forgetting which word to use while signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s would include, comparably: poor judgment and decision making, the inability to manage a budget, or difficulty having a conversation.
Signs of dementia employees at businesses can keep an eye out for include customers that: appear lost or confused, spend a long time looking for something, ask the same questions, have difficulty explaining what they need, don’t understand directions about where to find something, have trouble completing transactions, don’t pay for items they’ve selected, are with someone that is providing them direction, or seem anxious, nervous or unsure of themselves.
“If a person takes something, say, ‘thank you for finding that, I have been looking all over for that’ or ask them if you can help them pay for it out of their wallet. If this doesn’t work, try to work something out with the caregiver for a later return or payment,” Beam-Stratz used as an example.
“Sometimes caregivers use cards to hand out at businesses, which say, ‘My dad has dementia’ or something along those lines, to hand to a waiter at a restaurant, for example,” she said.
Often the biggest challenge with dementia and Alzheimer’s, Beam Stratz explained, is that the person with it will deny having it, particularly people with Frontotempural dementia who will often say, “I don’t have a problem; you do.”
Proper approach key
Beam-Stratz shared guidelines of how to approach a person suspected of having dementia.
“Never assume they do unless you know for sure. And if you don’t know, these guidelines can still be used and effective,” she said.
Staying calm, positive and friendly while smiling and make eye contact are most important when approaching the person, Beam Stratz said.
“The field of vision of a person with dementia will decrease so approach from the front, within their line of vision. Reach out, introduce yourself and try to put the person at ease,” she said.
The next step, and one of the most important, is to be patient.
“I can’t emphasize patience enough. Give the person time to talk or respond, remembering that while you’re done with the sentence or question, they may still be processing the third word you said. Give them time,” she said.
Beam-Stratz recommends keeping the following guidelines in mind for successful interaction: never argue, the customer is always right, ask simple questions, show you care, consider and acknowledge their feelings, watch your tone and body language, read non-verbal messages and accept people where they are.
“Logic and reason does not apply in these situations. A person with dementia can begin to have more difficulty with the spoken word so non-verbal cues are vital to communication,” she said.
“Listen carefully to what they are saying and repeat it back to verify you heard correctly… If they change what they are saying, go with it,” Beam-Stratz added.
Along with guidelines for listening, she offered a list of responses that might be helpful in that type of situation, including, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” “That’s a good idea. I’ll have to try that,” and “Between the two of us, it will be OK.”
If a situation involving a person with dementia becomes difficult, Beam-Stratz recommended slowing down, staying calm and using an even tone of voice, asking fewer questions, and, if someone tries to intervene, reassure them everything is fine and you will be with them shortly to avoid escalating the situation further.
“Know that everybody’s journey is different and personal for them based on their history,” Beam-Stratz said.
“Show you care by thinking about a time you’ve been lost or needed help and what it meant to find someone to show they cared, to show kindness,” she said.
Getting the word out
Representatives of the following were in attendance at the Jan. 19 training: Holton Manor; Wisconsin-Illinois Senior Housing; First United Methodist Church of Whitewater; Mercy Health Care; Community Care; Arbor Village of Geneva Crossings; Walworth County’s Aging & Disability Resource Center; East Troy Manor; Walworth County Aging Network, and; the Alzheimer’s Association.
“This initiative truly means a lot to us, and will mean a lot to our community and county as we continue to spread this important message,” said Eric Russow, who, with his wife, Bernadette, is leading the charge to make Walworth County a dementia friendly community.
A dementia friendly community was described in the training as one where people living with dementia: live good lives; live as independently as possible; continue to be part of their community; are met with understanding; are given support where necessary, and; are treated with dignity and respect.
“We hope that as we continue to train and designate businesses as ‘Dementia Friendly’ and utilize the purple angel insignia to let the community know, it will in turn encourage other businesses and organizations to do the same,” Russow added.
The Purple Angel shown in a window is the universal symbol worldwide for dementia friendliness. For a business to earn a Purple Angel, at least 50 percent of the staff need to be trained, a walkthrough of the business has to be conducted, and recommended environmental changes should be made, if possible.
Anyone interested in additional information on how to customize training for their business or organization should contact Russow at (888) 475-1093 or dementiafriendlyelkhorn@gmail.com or Beam-Stratz at (920) 728-4088 or bbeam@alz.org.
