3 Tips to Help You Avoid Therapeutic Lying in Dementia Care

By Valerie Feurich, Positive Approach to Care (PAC) Team Member

Are you caring for a person living with dementia, and having trouble getting them to do things at times?

Have you tried getting the person to eat, just for them to tell you they already ate when you know that’s not the case?

Situations like these can be frustrating for caregivers, or care partners, as we call you here at Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care. You’re trying your best, but the person’s resistance is starting to wear on you.

You may have previously resorted to lying or bending the truth so as not to upset the person. This is also called Therapeutic Lying.

Is therapeutic lying the right thing to do? Opinions differ greatly, but here at Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care, we think there are better ways to manage these types of situations.

Why? Because with therapeutic lying, you risk permanently harming your relationship.

Just because the person is living with dementia, you can’t count on their brain to forget everything you said. With therapeutic lying, you may find yourself in uncomfortable situations where the person starts to question you. After all — they may be living with dementia, but that doesn’t make…