Validation therapy is a strategy for communicating with people who have dementia that emphasizes empathy and understanding.
It is often used to comfort and reassure people who are living withAlzheimer’s diseaseor another kind of dementia.
This article discusses validation therapy for people with dementia and how to implement it.
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It also goes over some of the evidence for the effectiveness of this treatment strategy.
What Is Validation Therapy?
Validation therapy is a communication method that helps people with dementia work through the emotions behind their challenging behaviors.
Validation therapy can help a person with dementia feel heard and understood.
It acknowledges that challenging behavior is driven by unmet needs.
Listening to and engaging with the person exhibiting the behavior can help caregivers understand and meet those needs.
Validation therapy was developed over time, between 1963 and 1980, by Naomi Feil.
Feil’s first book on validation was published in 1982.
But before you react, think and breathe.
This can allow her to process those feelings of grief related to losing her mother.
Match and Express the Emotion
Join with your mother in her feelings.
Acknowledge the sadness of losing her mother and the special relationship they had with each other.
Rephrase
Rephrasing her feelings back to her can provide reassurance that you understand and feel her loss.
Use Senses
Ask questions about her mother.
How Effective Is Validation Therapy?
Research on the effectiveness of validation therapy is mixed.
The researchers said additional high-quality studies were needed.
This doesn’t mean it’s ineffective.
It means there wasn’t strong enough data to show that it is helpful.
Integrated validation therapy prescribes certain attitudes and actions in response to the person’s feelings and behaviors.
Validation therapy may work well for some people and not for others.
Summary
Validation therapy is a strategy for communicating with people who have dementia.
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