How to Talk to Your Loved One About Memory Loss

By Gauthier Family Home Care | January 15, 2020 | Comments Off on How to Talk to Your Loved One About Memory Loss

Unfortunately, as people age, they often lose their memory. Sometimes this is just normal age-related memory loss and other times it is much more than that. Your loved one might develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Being forgetful is never easy for your loved one or for the family. In addition, even though it can be a tough topic to talk about, there are some tips on how you can speak with your loved one about memory loss.

Know Your Place

Elder Care Comstock Park, MI:How to Talk to Your Loved One About Memory Loss

Are you someone who is really close to the family member who is experiencing memory loss? Maybe there is someone who has a closer bond with this person. That is the person who might want to bring up the conversation about memory loss. Just because you are a family member doesn’t necessarily mean you should be the one speaking with your loved one about memory loss. There might be someone else who is better fit to start off this conversation.

Control

Just because your loved one is losing some of their memory doesn’t mean they don’t still want to have control over their own life. They might become defensive when someone talks to them about memory loss, especially if the conversation isn’t handled properly. Whoever is going to have this conversation should remember to let your loved one stay in control of the conversation. Take things slow and proceed with caution is the best advice for this type of situation.

Honesty is Best

You should always be honest with your loved one. While you should watch how you choose your words in the conversation about memory loss, you should still be honest. Let your loved one know what they are forgetting if they don’t know already. Be honest with them about how this is affecting their life and the life of those around them. Tell them how concerned you are about them and take the conversation from there.

Listen to Your Loved One

The most important thing to remember when talking to your loved one about memory loss is to listen to what they have to say. It is still their life and they want to know that you understand what they are going through. The more that you listen to them, the more willing they will probably be to allow you to help them out, either through extra assistance on your part or by hiring elder care providers.

These are some of the tips on how to talk to your loved one about memory loss. Even if your loved one has just started experiencing slight memory loss, this may be a good time to talk to them.

 

If you or someone you know needs help with Elder Care in Comstock Park, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 258-2300 for more information.

 

Sources

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/noticing-memory-problems-what-do-next

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