To ask or not to ask... What was the question? Communicating without questions in dementia care (November 29, 2022)

By 2030 there will be nearly a million Canadians living with dementia (Alzheimer Society, 2016). With no medical cure available, non-pharmacological approaches remain vital. Occupational therapy should focus on well-being (Hammell, 2017). Learning to communicate without asking questions can help support well-being and reduce distress and its associated behaviours.

This webinar will give an overview of the challenges that people living with dementia experience when they are questioned. It will highlight the hidden complexity in everyday questions, the vulnerability of well-being in dementia (Kitwood & Bredin, 1997) and behavioural issues (Stokes, 2000). It will identify the challenges to memory posed by dementia (Guzman-Velez et al., 2014) and stress (Domes & Frings, 2020) and demonstrate the potential for escalation to distress (Pearce, 2017). Alternative ways to elicit information and facilitate choice effectively without asking questions will be explored. 

After taking part in this webinar, participants will be able to: 

1. Recognize the additional challenges of questions for people living with dementia, and the negative impact that can have on their well-being. 
2. Identify alternative methods of gathering information and facilitating choice effectively when working with people living with dementia.

Level 
Intermediate (3-5 years of experience in this specific area of practice)