surprising teepa care partner tip for when people keep repeating same old stories

Yes, it can be tiresome listening to someone who is living in the early and middle “stages” of dementia tell you the same old stories over and over again.

When you feel worn out by repetition, it can be helpful to remember these three things:

The person living with dementia is likely trying to create a connection with you through story telling. She is reaching out in one of the joyful ways she knows how: by sharing some of herself or her life.
The person living with dementia likey doesn’t remember he has told you that same story before. To him it’s fresh and new.
Storytelling, conversation and connection are great ways to preserve a sense of self and to get brain cells firing, both of which are good for the well-being of us all, including people living with dementia.

In the powerful video below, Teeepa Snow demonstrates in just a few minutes how to keep conversations going with a short and simple phrase that will create engagement instead of cutting people off and potentially creating ill will and disconnection.

Teepa’s counterintuitive tip? Say: “Tell me more…”