![]() Is it necessary to cause them so much distress, especially when the truth you tell them is likely to be misunderstood or quickly forgotten? Telling the truth each time forces them to experience fresh distress over and over again. Plus, having short-term memory issues means they’ll probably soon forget the conversation, so it will come up again. That happens because dementia prevents people from properly processing and retaining information. So when we hear about using therapeutic fibbing to lie to someone with dementia, it might seem cruel and wrong at first.īut always sticking to the truth, especially about an emotional subject or something trivial, is more likely to cause your older adult pain, confusion, and distress. Most of us are taught from a young age that any kind of lying is horrible and dishonest, especially lying to family and anyone we care about and respect. ![]() We explain why always telling the truth could be cruel, how therapeutic fibbing helps you join their reality, and share two real-life examples of how to use therapeutic fibs to provide comfort and reassurance. This technique takes some getting used to because going along with your older adult’s new reality can feel like you’re lying to them.īut using white lies to validate their feelings and reassure them is certainly not the same as lying for a malicious reason. It helps you step into their current reality and spare them unnecessary upset and distress. So, dementia care experts often recommend a technique called therapeutic fibbing. ![]() That’s why forcing someone to abandon their version of reality and join our “real world” can cause confusion, pain, anxiety, fear, and anger. That’s because their brain may experience a different version of reality.ĭementia damages the brain and causes progressive decline in the ability to understand and process information. Honesty isn’t always the best policy when it comes to someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Stepping into someone’s reality isn’t the same as lying
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