Elder Care

Respecting Presence

Naomi Feil developed effective methods for communicating with people who have “Alzheimer’s-Type Dementia.” She identified four stages. The third and fourth stages require certain approaches which can create meaningful interactions with confused persons.   Persons in the third stage engage in repetitive motion. They may pace or wander

Prepare Before Communicating with the Confused

Communicating with someone who is confused can be frustrating.  And yet, somehow caregivers need to listen and speak in a way that builds trust and lowers anxiety.  Anxiety only heightens uncooperative, difficult behavior and impedes communication.  The goal is to provide as much quality of life as possible for the confused person by lowering the

The Four Stages of Resolution

Naomi Feil in her book The Validation Breakthrough identified four stages of resolution. People who suffer from cognitive impairment may progress through these four stages: 1) Malorientation, 2) Time Confusion, 3) Repetitive Motion, and 4) Vegetation. Feil believes people will “enter a period in their lives in which they feel the need to resolve unfinished

Communication with the Confused

Alzheimer’s disease is a catch all term today much like the older term “dementia.”  Some prefer to call it the “old-timer’s disease.” However, Alzheimer’s is a very specific disorder that cannot be accurately diagnosed until an autopsy is performed.  It is characterized by the presence of excessive neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in brain tissue. 

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