6.2 Loss and grief for the person with dementia

 Empathy, honosty and patience is important from a caretakers point of view.

• Empathy, the ability to experience and understand other people's feelings 

Many people with dementia can experience states of mind that can be difficult to understand when nothing special has happened. What happened may be a long time ago and it is not certain that the person can put into words what happened. The person can experience it as just now.

•  Honesty, the ability to tell the truth 

Many people with dementia notice mood swings and lies. Therefore it is important to be honest even if it meens delivering bad news many times (when they forgotten that they just asked the same question).

• Patience, the ability to endure waiting, delays, or difficulties in maintaining calm

People with dementia lose the ability to do simple everyday things. These losses can be perceived as illogical as some things go well and others do not. The person with dementia can get confused and frustraited and show strong emotions or act out.