Cognitive impairments affect a person’s ability to think, remember, communicate, or make decisions. Conditions like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, or brain injury can cause these challenges. As a nursing assistant, your role is to provide patient, respectful, and safe care while helping them maintain dignity and comfort.
Example:
If a patient with dementia forgets where they are and becomes upset, instead of correcting them harshly, you can calmly reassure them, redirect their attention, and speak in a gentle tone. Compassion and patience make a big difference.
Live Case:
In a care home in Ghana, nursing assistants learned special techniques for communicating with elderly patients who had Alzheimer’s disease. Instead of arguing when patients became confused, they used calm voices, smiled often, and offered familiar activities like music or folding towels. The patients became calmer, and daily routines ran more smoothly.
Apply it now:
Be patient and calm: never rush or argue with a confused patient.
Use simple communication: speak slowly, use short sentences, and maintain eye contact.
Create a safe environment: remove hazards that could cause falls or injury.
Encourage independence: allow patients to do what they can for themselves.
Show empathy and respect: treat every patient with kindness and dignity, no matter their condition.
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