The other day I walked into our MC unit, and one of my ladies saw me and said, "hon, I need to talk to you, something is not right" I was in the middle of a task that I needed to complete quickly. I held the ladies' hand looked her in the eyes, and went on to tell her that right at that moment I couldn't help her, but as soon as I finished I would come back immediately. I offered her coffee while she waited for my return, to which she agreed. When I returned 20 minutes later, she was there waiting for me, she was still worried, I took her hand and said to her, "let's go for a walk and you can tell me what is bothering you, and maybe we can figure out how to fix it" her reply, "ok, hon, I honestly don't know how this is going to go" I like to build a relationship of trust with all of my patients, well with everyone, is one of those core morals that are non-negotiable for most human beings.
The combination of acknowledging her needs at the time that she first approached me, my tone of voice, holding her hand, and offering her a cup of coffee, which I know is what calms her down. All worked in my favor for her to wait for me until I was ready to return and help her out. She trusts me enough to know that I would come back.
I leave you with a Dementia communication guide beautifully put together by a Bridge Between the Gap. I was going to make one up, then I came across this one, I couldn't possibly make a better one, this one is exactly how I would have presented it.
