Watch this video blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvSyldkV_cQ
I taught a class that I teach often this past week and heard from many participants in the class: “I’ve been doing it all wrong”; “I wish I took this class 2 years ago”; “I struggle trying to make my mother understand what I am saying, for me and not her, and it always ended up in an argument that I didn’t win”!
If you have a family member with an illness such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Lewy Body Dementia or “Frontotemporal Dementia” – please, please take a class and get yourself to a support group.
Having to change the way you have communicated to someone you have had a 50+ year relationship with is a challenge. It takes some new skills and the reinforcement from others in the same boat as you to make changes in your style of communicating.
A new way of communicating can reduce anxiety for you and your family member. It can mean all the difference in the quality of your relationship and greatly affect the individual with memory loss’s sense of self-esteem.
Eldercare Services provides classes in our office monthly and either me or one of our Geriatric Care Managers are also teaching in the community – we are not alone – other professionals are giving these classes all over the country. Do your homework – find a class and improve the quality of your life and the life of the person you love who has a memory loss illness.