Dementia – staying connected without overburdening

The program series Lust on Aging?! is once again focusing this year on the topic Dementia. After politics in Upper Austria set out in their Care Strategy 2040 to significantly expand care options at home, this program takes a closer look at the situation of those caring for loved ones at home.

The Validation trainer Hildegard Nachum and social pedagogue Ulrike Zika have written a book – Staying Connected with Dementia. They put the caregivers in the spotlight.

I conducted this interview with Hildegard Nachum in the studio FRO in Linz. Ms. Nachum sees a lot of support needs for people who care for relatives with dementia often without professional training. She wishes for the politics to offer free courses on validation, and a helpline for grief would also be helpful.

She points out that humans are not only made up of cognition, but also of emotionality. In her specialty, Validation, she explains beautifully using behavior of people with dementia and their symbolic language.

The application of validation allows for de-escalating everyday situations that caregivers at home repeatedly experience and that often push them to their limits.

Ms. Nachum explains very clearly the technique of centering, which counteracts one's own overwhelm. Those who apply it find it easier to enter a mode where judging and blaming are absent.

Validation must be learned, she admits. But one or two techniques already bring a validating attitude, which can be very helpful in caring for people with dementia. She emphasizes how important it is for caregivers especially at home to break out of the victim role. It also helps to distinguish between empathy and compassion. Ms. Nachum points out that this topic is extensively covered by Ulrike Zika in the book. This also applies to the topics of mindfulness and self-care, which are explained in the book with illustrations and exercises.

Music titles and artists:

All By Myself                              Celine Dion

My Baby Just Cares For Me    Nina Simone

I hate you then I love you        Celine Dion    Luciano Pavarotti

Tomorrow                                   Nina Simone

Mood Indigo                              Nina Simone