Students Experience the Disease and Learn Communication Skills in Dementia Class

New Hampshire businesses and organizations are undergoing the simulated experience of having dementia to boost awareness and better communicate with people who have the disease by taking classes organized by Alyssa Mackey with The Residence at Salem Woods, an assisted living and memory care community, reports the New Hampshire Union Leader . Such training programs help caregivers, librarians, municipal and business employees, and emergency responders learn to be slower, more patient, gentle, and plain-spoken with afflicted seniors. There are more than 24,000 known cases of Alzheimer's in New Hampshire and another 50 percent yet undiagnosed. As baby boomers get older and the number of persons with dementia rises across the country, training programs offer strategies to make life more manageable, predictable, and pleasant. Music and redirected thoughts and conversation can soothe agitation in persons who may be disturbed by sudden noises, bright or flashing lights, and questions and answers they do not understand. "More than what you say, they will remember how you made them feel," says Melissa Grenier with the Alzheimer's Association in New Hampshire, which offers training for caregivers, businesses, police, and fire departments.