An award-winning care provider is offering free advice to people from Wales on how to communicate with someone with dementia.

Abacare has put together tips, as part of Dementia Action Week, which takes place from May 20 until 26, to help people better understand what a loved-one is trying to convey.

Joe Jenkins, Branch Manager at Abacare, which has offices in Ystradgynlais, said: “Not being able to communicate their feelings completely can leave a person with dementia feeling angry, confused or agitated.

“Our carers have been looking after some of our service users with the condition for many years and are experts in their field, so they have put together some top tips to help anyone else out there who might look after a loved-one with dementia, to better understand what they are trying to get across and to help you both feel less stressed:

"It’s important to listen and pay close attention to what a loved-one with dementia is trying to say.

"Patience is also key, let them get their words out, however long it takes.

"If they become agitated or upset or don’t make sense, try to see if there are any physical signs of a problem, such as them being hungry or tired.

“If they have said something you don’t understand, rephrase what they have said and check with them to see if you’ve got it correct. Their reaction and body language will be a good indicator. When talking with them it’s also important to use a normal, calm tone of voice and be wary of raising it as people with dementia or Alzheimer’s can be extremely sensitive to tones, even if they may not understand what you are saying.

“Allow them time to respond as it can take them longer to process information and work out their answers.

“It’s important not to feel the need to correct or argue a point with a person with dementia as this can cause upset for both parties. Instead, you should acknowledge what your loved-one is saying and let them know you understand and have taken their point on board. If you need to, you can change the subject or divert attention to a different topic that makes them happy.

“Too many conversation topics can be confusing for a person with dementia, so try to stick to one topic at a time and limit the number of questions you ask as this can cause the person to become frustrated or withdrawn if they can’t find the answer.

“Questions with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer or ones that give the person a choice work best, but if they still don’t quite understand, try rephrasing it instead of repeating it.

“People with dementia can quite often rely on non-verbal communication as their condition progresses. It will take time but you should learn to recognise the person’s body language and practice being mindful of your own as a person with dementia can pick up on tense facial expressions and sudden movements.

“You should always respect a person with dementia’s personal space – don’t stand too close in order to communicate as it could make them feel intimidated.

“Physical contact such as holding a person’s hand or putting an arm round them can really help reassure and comfort them.”

Dementia Action Week, which was previously known as Dementia Awareness Week, was started by the Alzheimer’s Society and encourages people who are worried about dementia to confront their worries by addressing dementia directly and getting information and support.

There are currently 850,000 people with dementia in the UK and the number is set to rise to one million by 2021.

Joe added: “We have a committed dementia team and we offer one-to-one bespoke support for people living with dementia, so they do not need to leave their familiar surrounding or pets.

“A service user’s family, carers and the person with dementia (where possible) are always involved in developing a care plan based on person-centred care.

Their knowledge and understanding of the person is extremely valuable to make sure the care plan is right for the individual.”