One of our dementia clients can be salty at times. I was engaged with another client when I heard her say, “You b****.”, rather loudly. Looking over at her, I saw she was smiling. I smiled back and said, “What did you say?” She replied, “What?” so I said, “I’m not sure what you said.” With a wide smile and a twinkle in her eye, she said, “I just said I love you!” I giggled back, “Well, that’s good, ’cause I love you, too.”

Having a conversation with a person who has dementia doesn’t have to make sense. It’s all about connecting and companionship.

A resident, “Diana”, seems to always wake up happy and smiling – her eyes dance! One day, she just wasn’t her smiley self. As our staff member was helping Diana dress, she tried to coax a smile with jokes and their regular morning banter. After having exhausted all the usual, the staff member tried, “How about we have pigs feet for breakfast?”. Well, that certainly got Diana’s attention! She exclaimed, “Pigs feet?!” with a huge smile and those dancing eyes.

Our caregivers deliver top-quality care paired with one-on-one social interaction and companionship. We believe every day is a chance to enhance our clients’ overall happiness and quality of life.

Paula and a couple of residents were watching a movie in the Sunroom together when “Karen” strode purposefully toward the TV and began to speak directly to the actors on the screen. It seemed Karen wanted to help when she said, “Honey, Honey, you don’t understand! Honey, Honey.”, over and over again. Rather than ignoring Karen’s behavior, Paula began to laugh. Karen joined in – proof that laughter truly is the best medicine!

Paula’s playfulness with Karen is an example of how we sustain a calm and peaceful setting.