Directions for an Elder with Dementia

Encouraging elders who struggle with Dementia to do things can be very difficult. It may even seem as though they don’t want to perform certain tasks. However, the likely reason, is that the question or instructions are too complex for them to process. It is important to remember that their brains aren’t processing the same way ours do. Keep questions and instructions simple and use only a few words at a time. For example, “Dinner time”… wait 30 seconds, “let’s stand up now”… wait again, “we are going to the table”. 30 seconds seems like an eternity to us, but research shows it is the amount of time someone with Dementia needs to understand what is being said.