2 Nonverbal Communications Tips for Alzheimer's Caregivers

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1. Meet Harsh Words With an Equal and Opposite Nonverbal Communication

My mother was saying over and over each day - get out, I don't want you here, I can take of myself. Of course I tried to explain to her she could no longer live by herself. All this did was make her angry and we had a bad day. Think about it. She just told me she could take care of herself. So why would it make her happy when I told her she couldn't? It didn't.

I tried every long winded explanation under the sun and none of them worked. In fact, they made things worse.

Finally after a couple of years of complete frustration, and after walking around in Alzheimer's World for a while, I got a brand new idea.

Meet meanness with kindness.

So I shut my mouth and didn't say a word when it started to happen. Instead I walked over, put my arm around my mother's shoulder, put my head on her head, and then said,

I'm here now, I am going to take care of you.