Millions of Americans support loved ones with dementia, with nearly 12 million family members and unpaid caregivers supporting people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias in 2024. As a person’s ability to communicate becomes increasingly difficult, understanding how to talk to someone with dementia and responding calmly to dementia delusions can help fortify caregiver well-being while providing care.
Communication Fundamentals
Essential rules for communicating with someone with dementia include limiting distractions by turning off the TV or radio and moving to a quiet room. Maintain eye contact, smile and speak with a calm tone. A person with Alzheimer’s likely won’t recall certain details for more than a few moments at a time, so be prepared to repeat yourself. Call them by their preferred name—if they prefer “Mary,” say Mary; if they say “Mrs. Jones,” say “Mrs. Jones.” Speak in slow, short sentences, not paragraphs, with only one idea per sentence. Be specific when identifying objects—“here is your hat” rather than “here it is.” Avoid phrases like “Don’t you remember?” which can cause feelings of shame and embarrassment.
Responding to Delusions
Dementia delusions are a type of neuropsychiatric symptom causing a person to firmly believe in a false reality. They can fall into categories such as theft delusions, paranoid delusions, poisoning delusions, imposter delusions and phantom boarder delusions. Research has shown dementia delusions are a leading cause of caregiver burnout and depression. When a loved one expresses a dementia delusion not rooted in reality, validate the emotion behind their delusion without supporting the delusion itself. The validation method, popularized by Naomi Feil in her book “The Validation Breakthrough,” shifts from forcing the person back into our world to entering theirs. Instead of trying to force the person back into our world, you enter theirs, prioritizing the person’s feelings over the facts.
Self-Care for Caregivers
Caring for a loved one with dementia can take a toll on emotional health. Experts stress the importance of self-care throughout the caregiving journey and recommend seeking professional mental health help if you start to experience profound mental health symptoms.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://wtop.com/news/2026/04/how-to-talk-to-someone-with-dementia-expert-tips-and-phrases/