Around the world, medical professionals and patients have turned to the performing arts as a new form of treatment for dementia. The act of improvisation can help a dementia patient feel connected to the world while providing unbridled happiness. Similarly, caregivers can find great comfort and limit strong feelings of frustration when caring for dementia patients by using improvisation skills to better understand their loved one’s needs. Improvisational can help not only how caregivers see patients but how patients see themselves.

Key Takeaways:

• Sometimes it is beneficial to learn ways to communicate with infants as oftentimes this is the level of cognitive development that patients are at.
• There are many ways to interpret babbling instead of just presuming that the patient is upset or in pain.
• Encourage your family member to communicate, imitate and play while you are visiting them.

“Across the globe, practitioners, caregivers and patients are embracing play, performance and the arts.”

Read more: https://changingaging.org/dementia/dementia-the-joy-of-living-an-improvisational-life/