Blum Center Program: Communicating Effectively

Why It Matters

Effective, person-centered communication reduces anxiety, preserves dignity and autonomy, and improves caregiving outcomes and coordination among family and health professionals, making daily care safer and more humane.

Summary

The Blum Center session, part of an Alzheimer’s caregiver education series, explains how dementia impairs communication—causing word-finding problems, repetition, reverting to native language, and increased nonverbal expression—and stresses that these changes are disease-driven, not personal. Presenter Nila Agarwal outlines a person-centered communication approach: know the person’s preferences, treat them with respect and dignity, validate feelings, avoid correcting reality, and offer choices to preserve autonomy. Practical tactics include simplifying language, using gentle tone and body language, allowing alternate realities when needed, and coordinating communication strategies with family and healthcare providers. The session blends clinical insight with caregiver experience to offer actionable methods for everyday interactions with people living with dementia.

Original Description

This session from May 14, 2026 teaches how dementia affects communication, including tips for communicating well with family, friends, and healthcare professionals.

This program is part of the Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia: The Caregiver Education Series, a collaboration between the Maxwell & Eleanor Blum Patient and Family Learning Center and the Alzheimer's Association.