Senior Services

12 Things to Avoid when Working with Persons who have Alzheimers's and/or Dementia

1. Avoid arguing with the person.

2. Avoid yelling or raising your voice. What may be intended as a firm command or intervention could be viewed as a frightening and aggressive act by a person with Alzheimer's or dementia.

3. Avoid confronting a person's deviant behaviors.

4. Avoid negative statements, such as “No,” “Not,” “Never.”

5. Avoid complex statements.

6. Avoid outright lying to a person with Alzheimer's or dementia.

7. Avoid multiple choices. This can be too confusing for a person with Alzheimer's or dementia.

8. Avoid approaching from behind.

9. Avoid asking the person to remember, i.e. “Remember me?,”“Remember when…?,” “Remember how to…?.”

10. Avoid talking down to the person with Alzheimer's or dementia.

11. Avoid using pronouns, slang, cute/pet names, nicknames for people, objects and places.

12. Avoid excessive noise (i.e.: yelling out to other staff or individuals, slamming doors, loud music and/or singing).