In dementia care, knowing how to approach someone with dementia can change everything. It’s not only about what you say, but also it’s about how you enter their space, engage with them, and build trust from the very first moment. Teepa Snow’s Positive Physical Approach™ (PPA) offers caregivers a simple but powerful tool to create meaningful, calm, and cooperative interactions. This approach is a way to connect with compassion and intention.
Why It Matters: How to Approach Someone with Dementia the Right Way
When someone is living with dementia, their brain interprets the world differently. Sudden movements, loud voices, or uninvited physical contact can feel threatening or confusing. That’s why learning how to approach someone with dementia helps reduce fear, preserves dignity, and creates a space where care can happen comfortably and cooperatively.
The Positive Physical Approach™ is designed to respect personal space, offer a clear and gentle invitation to connect, and move at a pace that supports emotional and cognitive needs. It creates familiarity and choice, both of which are often compromised as dementia progresses.
Steps to Take: The Positive Physical Approach™ in Action
Understanding how to approach someone with dementia means taking deliberate, thoughtful steps. Here’s how the Positive Physical Approach™ unfolds:
- Pause at the edge of public space
- Start your approach about six feet away. Give the person a chance to see you coming without feeling overwhelmed.
- Gesture and greet by name
- A warm smile, a small wave, and a personal greeting can go a long way toward building comfort.
- Offer your hand, palm up
- This non-threatening gesture invites connection without forcing it. If the person responds, you can then move into a supportive Hand-Under-Hand™ position.
- Stay in their visual range
- Always approach from the front or the side, never from behind, and move slowly.
- Shift to the side and lower your posture
- Move to their side and get to eye level. Standing face-to-face may feel intimidating, but being beside them reduces pressure.
- Wait for permission
- Before proceeding with care or conversation, pause for a verbal or nonverbal cue that they are ready to engage.
These steps work with the brain, not against it, respecting changes in visual processing, spatial awareness, and emotional regulation that often occur with dementia.
Everyday Care: Making PPA a Natural Habit
Using the Positive Physical Approach™ doesn’t have to be reserved for difficult moments. Whether it’s helping with grooming, offering a meal, or simply saying hello, how you approach someone with dementia should always reflect patience, presence, and respect. Over time, consistent use of this method creates predictability, which builds safety and comfort for the person receiving care.
Why This Approach Works
- It reduces confusion and resistance by giving the brain time to process your presence.
- It promotes autonomy by offering the person a choice in how and when to engage.
- It enhances emotional safety by removing feelings of threat or intrusion.
- It strengthens the caregiver relationship, turning each interaction into an opportunity for connection rather than confrontation.
The Heart of Caregiving: Meeting People Where They Are
At its core, knowing how to approach someone with dementia is about honoring their experience. People living with dementia still deserve control over their space, their body, and their relationships. By starting every interaction with empathy and intention, caregivers can support not only physical needs but also emotional well-being.
The Positive Physical Approach™ reminds us that the smallest shift, like pausing, offering, and waiting, can lead to the biggest impact. And that’s something every caregiver should carry with confidence and pride.