Emotion remains the strongest and most reliable pathway for connection. In this section, you’ll see how connecting to feelings rather than correcting with facts can reduce frustration and build trust with the person living with dementia.
Connection begins when we choose to travel together on the same line – the Emotion Line. Now, let’s return to those earlier scenarios and look at how that understanding can guide what we say and do to better support people living with dementia. In each example, see how an emotion-focused response builds connection, while logic or fact-correcting responses keep us on different tracks.
When we correct – rather than connect – it can cause negative feelings for a person living with dementia: for example, they may feel sad and scared about their memory loss, or angry and suspicious that they are being lied to. Over time, this can lead to a lack of trust and increased feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Activity 1.2
Now it’s time to try the approach for yourself. For each of the examples below, select the approach that validates and responds to the emotional state of the person. Before answering, ask yourself: What emotion might be driving this person’s words or actions?