Validating a Loved One with Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s can be a cruel disease.  Often families are saddened and frustrated.  It can be easy to force an individual to enter back into reality, but few times does this really work.   Demanding that an individual recognize that it is winter and not summer or other facts of reality create unnecessary anxiety and tension between the two parties.  Validating, on the other hand, allows your loved one to freely express their emotions without feeling judged.

Ask your loved one who, what, when, and where questions and show a sincere interest by showing them that you are interested in what they are trying to tell you.  Perhaps they want to see their brother, but he has since passed.  Rather than creating anxiety and sadness by telling them that their brother passed away, ask them what they miss about their brother?  What did they enjoy doing most with him?

Any individual, senior or child, one with memory loss or cognitive ability need validated…they need accepted and acknowledged as a human being.  Naomi File is the founder of the Validation Technique.  View this incredible video with Naomi and Gladys Wilson.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrZXz10FcVM I hope you have gained as much from this video as I have!  Please feel free to share your own experiences and leave a comment.