One of the most challenging tasks you'll face as your parent's Alzheimer's gets worse is being able to communicate with them. It will take an increasing amount of patience and understanding. Elderly care specialists who deal with Alzheimer's and dementia regularly understand the special needs that these seniors have. Here are some of the tips that you can employ from these professionals to stay connected with your parent.

1. Be calm around your parent.

The Alzheimer's patient becomes more sensitive to the energy of the people around them. When they sense irritation in people, they can become upset and agitated. If you have a frustrating drive in traffic to see your parent in the care facility, spend a few minutes calming down before you begin talking with them.

2. Take breaks in any conversation should you feel frustrated.

Similarly, if you begin to feel frustrated while talking with your parent, calmly excuse yourself for a few moments. Communicating with the Alzheimer's parent takes a great deal of patience and you can easily become exhausted with the effort. Go get a drink of water and walk around the facility for a few minutes before re-engaging with your parent.

3. Start the conversation in a quiet space.

Your parent will easily be distracted by the sounds and movement around them. A loud TV playing next door or people walking back and forth across a visitor's area will take your parent's attention away from your conversation. Find a quiet spot in which to start any conversation with your parent.

4. Use redirection to get the attention back from your parent should they become distracted.

When your parent does lose attention to your conversation, use some of the techniques that professional care givers use to refocus your parent:

• touch your parent lightly on the arm or shoulder
• say your parent's name softly
• make direct eye contact with them

You can also to try to verbally acknowledge the distraction then move back into the conversation:

• "That was quite a loud truck outside. As we were saying about which shirt you'd like to wear today..."

5. Ask only questions that require a "Yes" or "No" answer.

Your parent's cognitive ability will decline as the Alzheimer's advances, so they will have difficulty putting together the answers to more complex questions. Ask simple questions and show your parent the options, where appropriate:

• "Would you like go for a walk in the courtyard with me?"
• "Would you like to wear the pink blouse today?" as you hold up the pink blouse.

Your parent may need time to respond to these simple questions. Be patient and give your parent time to think. If they don't respond, or they become distracted, ask the same question over.

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