Using Validation Therapy To Care For Your Loved One
Validation therapy involves acknowledging and empathizing with the feelings and emotions expressed by your loved one in the face of a declining grasp on reality.
Validation therapy is considered a beneficial strategy for helping family caregivers interact with their loved ones who are facing the declining cognitive abilities of Alzheimer's disease or dementia. As the disease progresses, our loved ones often become less able to keep track of facts of our day to day lives such as where they live, where they are, if they need to go to work, the names of family members, etc.
Developed by Naomi Feil in the 1960s, validation therapy involves acknowledging and empathizing with the feelings and emotions expressed by individuals with dementia especially in the face of this declining grasp on reality.
The basic principles of validation include:
People are unique and should be treated as individuals.
People are valuable, no matter how disoriented they may be.
Behavior cannot be forced to change.
There is a reason behind the behavior.
Distressing Feelings that are expressed, acknowledged, and validated will diminish.
Empathy builds trust, reduces anxiety, and restores dignity.
Consider this example - a loved one is yelling they want to “go home” or “find their parent” and they are getting anxious and upset.
Using Validation, you will use one of these statements that connects to their emotion, not the facts about where they are currently residing:
“I can see you miss home”
“I’m sorry you feel sad”
“I can see you miss your mother/father, tell me about them”
“I can see you’re upset”
“Mother isn’t here but you are with me and are safe”.
When applying some of these principles, try to take these steps when a loved one is anxious or upset.
Take a couple of deep breaths to help center your mind and body.
Take notice of their body language, their facial expression, the tone of their voice, what they are saying, and what emotion they may be trying to express.
Take a moment to imagine what they might be feeling and ‘enter their world’.
Keep in mind as you begin communicating, that it’s not what you say, but how you say it.
Try to keep a tone of voice that is reassuring and calm. Use simple words and call your loved one by their name to help orient and get their attention.
Connect with the emotion your loved one is experiencing and verbally acknowledge and validate that emotion. This act will help the loved one process the emotion they are experiencing.
Validation can also be used when a loved one is no longer verbal. Talk about things that mattered to them, mention names of family and friends. By doing this you are validating their existence and recognizing them as an individual who matters.
At its core, Validation is one of the most compassionate and empathetic skills anyone can have. For a family caregiver it’s an essential practice allowing you to recognize your love one’s needs and understand their emotional experience in that moment.
This content was made possible through the contributions of NAN Expert Jen Paranhos, LCSW.
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