Dave Pariser, PT, Ph.D., is a physical therapist specializing in care of the elderly and people living with dementia. He offers the following suggestions to improve communication between you and the person you love who's living with Alzheimer's disease.

1. Always agree - never argue.

2. Always divert - never reason. A person living with Alzheimer's disease is loosing or has lost his/her ability to reason.

3. Always distract - never shame. People living with Alzheimer's disease are easily embarrassed; they will deny what they did, perhaps because they don't really remember what they just did. They may become angry and the anger may last a long time. They might not even remember why they are angry. Remember, you are not rewarding bad behavior here.

4. Always reassure - never lecture. Your loved one won't understand your explanation, they are sensitive to your tone and they need to feel good, not bad.

5. You need to eliminate the word remember from your vocabulary. It is always good to reminisce but not by asking questions. If you put your loved one at ease information is much easier to obtain.

6. Repeat! Repeat! Regroup! Never say "I just told you, how many times do I have to tell you?" Repetition is very difficult for everyone, we get frustrated and they pick up on it. A sense of humor is essential!

7. Help them to do everything they can do. Don't remind your loved on of what they can't do. This makes them feel bad, angry, worthless, incompetent, just as it would you or I.

8. Always ask or model. Never command or demand. Show your family member what you want done. This changes your body language and the tone of voice, both methods of communication a person living with Alzheimer's disease is apt to pick up on.

9. Always encourage - never condescend. People with Alzheimer's disease can tell you are talking about them even if they don't understand everything you are saying. Include your loved one in the conversation; talk with them and through them rather than about them to others.

10. Always reinforce - never force (unless life-threatening). How important is it anyway? Is it really life threatening? Will a new approach work in a few minutes?

11. CHANGE! They can't, we can.