How to Instantly Improve Your Zoom Conversations with a Person Living with Dementia

3 Strategies for Building Better Connections on a Video Call

By Valerie Feurich, PAC Team Member

Not being able to visit a loved one for long periods of time is tough. While there is technology to help bridge the gap during this pandemic, or if you live farther away, some of these setups are particularly challenging when your loved one is living with dementia.

That said, if you are able to set up a video conference with your loved one via Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, or another platform, there are a few things that you can try to have a better chat:

1. Be mindful of your body language

Being aware of your body language can make a big difference in dementia care in general. But even if everyone’s visual field is limited to a screen or a mobile device, the way you position yourself can help or hurt your conversation with a person living with dementia.

Video conferencing in itself has a rather confrontational setup as we’re forced to look at each other straight on, face to face, often for long periods of time. If you’ve been on several Zoom calls, you may have noticed how tiring this can be.