Living with Dementia—A Conversation with Teepa Snow
- Dr. Warren Wong
- Jan 7
- 2 min read
Teepa Snow has been on the forefront of dementia care for well over 20 years, having worked as a part of Duke University Medical Center's Neuro-Rehabilitation Team and at Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine. In 2007, Teepa established Positive Approach to Care (PAC), a company actively working to improve care for patients living with dementia in over 30 countries. In the video below, I had the opportunity to speak with Teepa about how she gets to know patients living with dementia and how she takes a positive approach.
By listening to our discussion, you’ll learn about:
Teepa’s core philosophy, covering how caregivers need to change their approach with people living with dementia, what the primary goals of working with dementia patients should be, and how we must be curious and open to failure;
What doctors and caregivers should pay attention to when working with dementia patients; and
Patients with dementia need to be treated like individuals with an emphasis on living in the now instead of mourning what might have been lost.
Following this discussion, I had the chance to discuss her three crucial communication tips for those working with people living with dementia. She describes them as:
Getting Connected First - caretakers should not immediately rush into tasks but instead look to make a connection with a dementia patient first
“Getting Low” - physical position is key to working with dementia patients, so giving them a sense of control, being at eye-level, and staying present in the conversation are necessary for success
Visual, Verbal, Touch Communication Sequence - caretakers should first go through visual cues, then verbal cues, and finally touch cues
She’ll explain that the purpose of these three steps is to ensure dementia patients can live life to the fullest, regardless of the fact that dementia itself cannot be fixed. You can find our whole conversation in the video below:
Dr. Warren Wong
PS: I say it over and over again: There's no one more important than the caregiver in the daily life of a frail person.
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