How do you talk to children about dementia?

We recommend when speaking with the children of a potential resident, to discuss dementia and memory care through education.

Dementia starts with short-term memory loss. They may remember incredibly vivid details about their childhood, but may not remember conversations or meals they had earlier in the day.

We recommend that the conversation is best had gradually and often rather than just one conversation. That way, the family and the children are prepared for what is to come next in the near term and how they can best prepare for that and what to expect in their loved ones.

Educate the children on the small declines that come with the behavior and as these small declines happen, we slowly increase our level of care to make it a smooth and easy transition.

As we reach each significant milestone or stage in the process, we do have a conversation at each stage with the family and children rather than just have one conversation about what to expect.

This way the family is aware and educated on what they can expect for that next stage of the dementia process.