People who have family with dementia, what are tips of communicating with them?

Ask Jill Biden as her husband is fully demented

Patience.. you’re gunna have to answer the same questions 100 times. No need to get the shits about it.
And ‘they’ don’t know your getting snippy because you’ve answered the same question 100 times. They get cranky and defensive..
as you would too if ppl got short with you..

Always talk to them about things that happened in their own distant past. They can usually remember the distant past. If you talk to them about their childhood, they remember everything.

Buy them an IPOD, and create a play list of songs that were popular in the year in which the demented person was a teenager. They will LOVE listening to that music. They will remember it, and the music will wake them up a little bit and they might dance, even in bed.

Do NOT spend your time correcting them or making them feel guilty for forgetting your name. Instead, even if they don't recognize you, talk to them as if they know you. Just...don't insist that they remember you.

Don't argue what's right and what's wrong .
In fact, try not to argue at all.

Let them tell you what they think, how it should be, and agree.
They will forget anyway.

Arguing only stresses them out more, and their life is fragile enough already.

Keep things simple. Make activities wtih them simple and easy. Go for walks, easy jigsaw puzzles, simple recipes to have fun in the kitchen.
Even just a walk window shopping.

Short sentences for easier comprehension.

If you need to say something complex, break it down into the above. And make longer pauses - give them extra processing time to comprehend.

And patience.
Eternal patience
💜💚

Patience
Use a Calendar to write down the day's events for them to read, practice daily showing them the Calendar.
Patience
Never remind them that you already talked about a subject or question.
Patience

[@sw-question] very difficult as my auntie [my dads sister] has alzeimers and has a short memory span as you can tell her something then a minute or two later she will ask the same question you have just answered it is painful too see a loved one you remember so fondly as a child go this way

Music and photos work really well. Of course continue talking and show love and affection

Telepathy