4 Common Phrases That Make Dementia Behaviors Worse

There are a few phrases dementia caregivers say all the time that sound completely normal but can actually make dementia behaviors worse. Things like "I already told you," "Don't you remember?" or "You just asked me that" usually come from frustration or from genuinely trying to help. But dementia changes what the brain is able to remember, process, and explain. In this episode, I break down 4 common communication traps, why they can backfire, and what you can do instead. I also get into why the best response for your loved one might be completely different from the best response for someone else, and that is okay. Dementia caregiving isn't about finding one perfect response. It's about learning what works for your loved one with dementia and adjusting as their brain changes. If you'd like to see this episode on video, you can hop on over to my YouTube channel here. 📘 Looking for more practical strategies? My book, The Dementia Care Toolkit: Real Help for Challenging Behaviors and Caregiving Overwhelm, is available for preorder here: https://careblazers.com/toolkit  → Learn about the Care Collective: https://tinyurl.com/podcast-cc    ⏱ CHAPTERS 0:00 - The repeated question that wears you down 2:14 - "I already told you" and the reminding trap 3:57 - "Don't you remember?" and highlighting their deficits 5:38 - "You just asked me that" and the repetition awareness trap 6:49 - "Why did you do that?" and the explanation trap 9:40 - Becoming a dementia detective when a behavior makes no sense --- Hi, I'm Dr. Natali Edmonds, a board-certified geropsychologist specializing in dementia care. Whether your loved one has Alzheimer's, frontotemporal, Lewy body, vascular, or mixed dementia, we believe that to create a dementia-friendly world, we must first create a caregiver-friendly world. This content is for