By Alzheimer’s Association Mission Mover and Volunteer Community Educator Carol White, MSW, Certified Dementia Practitioner, Certified Alzheimer’s/Dementia Care Trainer
A pharmacist asked me for some tips not too long ago regarding a person with dementia who did not remember picking up their prescription. The person living with the disease came back the next day insisting they did not pick up the prescription the day before. This person had been coming to this pharmacy for many years and this was the first time they had ever forgotten they had already picked up a prescription. They were very adamant about not being in the store the day before.
The pharmacist was able to calm the person living with the disease and reassure them by sharing that sometimes she gets so busy that she forgets that she did something.
If you run into these kinds of challenges, consider these tips:
- Take a deep breath and smile. In this case, they still remembered her, so if you are calm, the interaction may be ok.
- Show them proof of their previous visit. In this case, the receipt.
- Redirect the conversation to something they enjoy talking about.
- Be courteous. In this case, the pharmacist said “thank you for taking the time to talk with me.”
- Follow up with family or their care partner. The pharmacist did a follow up call with this person’s family member to let them know what happened so they could show their parent the prescription.
By remaining calm you have the ability to look at how you can make the situation work. The person living with the disease is doing the best they can. By controlling your reaction, you have the ability to make the interaction a positive experience.
Visit alz.org for more information, including tips on how to respond to someone living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia who might be agitated. The Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline is available day or night at 800.272.3900.
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Great article, thanks for having shared it!
I signed in and answered all of the quewtions, but found some of the questions are inappropriate and invasive. Then when I went to the new e-mail and click on the website to get onto zoom, I was instructed to fill out the same form again. Please stop frustrating your audience and keep it simple. We are very busy people. Thanks for listening.
Hello Pam. I’m so sorry you were having difficulty navigating our blog. You should not be required to sign in to read this blog post nor directed to Zoom. Can you give me a bit more information so I can understand better understand what happened to try to prevent this from happening in the future? Like was this a pop up window? Or did you click on a link that was showing on the blog page?