Customer encounters 👵🏼

In this article you will find materials regarding the state of health and encountering of your customer. Remember, that we are always only one call away if you need help or support! You can contact the office staff via our Staff App or by calling us.

On this site you will find information about encountering customer's with dementia, hearing impairment, visual impairment, afasia and depression.

When visiting a customer suffering from dementia, it is important to give the customer time and create a stress-free environment. Time will help here, and your customer will learn to recognise you. Your attitude is also crucial - the customer will sense your mood and energy, even if he/she doesn't remember you.

Always strive to create a positive and uplifting atmosphere. A person suffering from dementia senses different emotions very easily, for example irritation or stress.

Don't correct the elderly's stories or topics, even if you know them to be false - it is okay that some of the customer's stories are untrue.

Use your expressions and movements! Look your customer in the eyes and talk to her/him as you would any other adult.

Words are not always needed - by doing things together you can find common ground and think about pleasant things.

Specific routines and familiar things calms the person suffering from dementia - look at for example pictures together and talk about old memories.

Encourage independence - guide your customer verbally instead of doing things for him/her.

Encounter the person as you would any other - a person suffering from dementia deserves to be treated in the same way as any other, even though his/her speech can be unclear or confusing. The same goes for situations where the elderly can no long express himself/herself verbally.

If a customer has trouble with their hearing - focus on using your other senses. By practising and repeating you will learn to communicate seamlessly over time. Gubbe's office staff is here to support you, always!

Remember to speak calmly, always speak in the direction of the customer and to articulate clearly! Speak clearly and calmly, directly at your customer with normal or a slightly raised voice. Make sure you have your customers attention.

Make use of movement, expressions, writing and pictures. Write down important things. You can also use different movements and pictures to communicate. Use your imagination!
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​Mute background noise. A person who suffers from hearing impairment has difficulty distinguishing talk among other background noise. Make sure to close machines that make noice during your conversations. Close the windows if necessary.

Give the customer time, repeat yourself if needed and correct misunderstandings. It can take a while for a person with hearing impairment to comprehend the things they are hearing, so make sure to create a stress-free environment.

If your customer has recently gotten a hearing aid, the increased volume of different noises might require some getting used to. Be patient and remember to encourage your customer to use their hearing aid.

And most importantly: remember that a person with a hearing impairment can be perfectly sharp. If your customer doesn't react or responds in an odd way, the most likely reason is that they couldn't hear you properly.

If you are visiting a person who suffers from visual impairment, try to make their day-to-day as easy and stress free as possible. Gubbe's office staff is here to help and support you, if you need it.

Introduce yourself clearly, and explain your actions with words. Tell the customer where you are, and tell the customer when you are leaving a room, so that they do not get startled.

Use describing terms. For a visually impaired person, expressions such as "over there" does not mean anything. Remember to describe places and objects carefully.

Make your customer's surroundings as accessible as possible. Close cupboard doors and move furniture and other objects out of your customer's way. Remember to always inform your customer when moving things around!

Give things directly into your customers hands - putting something on the table may result in the customer having difficulty perceiving them or forgetting about them.

Always put things back in the same place - this makes it easier for the customer to find them.

Support your customer and give them your hand - this is truly helpful when moving around. Always have the customers possible moving aids ready when going out.

Smile - it affects your voice! As the customer can't see you that well, it is crucial that you still remember to smile and express yourself energetically!

Create a relaxed and stress-free environment. Your communication will improve over time, so be patient! You can also incorporate visual elements into your discussions.

Make us of drawing, writing and pictures. The disorder can affect all linguistic expressions such as speech, understanding, writing and reading. Use visual hints and flash cards as an aid in your conversations.

Direct your speech directly at the customer and speak with a normal voice. A person suffering from afasia does not necessarily have difficulty hearing. You can still minimize all background noise and articulate as clearly as possible.

Present one topic at a time, and repeat yourself using different words if necessary. It is good to use short sentences. Do not correct your customer if it isn't necessary.

Ask questions that you can easy answer with yes or no. If needed, specify with follow-up questions to make sure you understand your customer correctly. If you cannot understand your customer, politely ask them: "Excuse me, I didn't catch that. Can you repeat it one more time?".

A person suffering from afasia usually knows exactly what he/she should say, but has difficulty actually communicating it clearly. This is often very frustrating, as the difficulty lies in the communication - not in their way of thinking. Give your customer time, show empathy and create a calm and stress-free environment.

Train different phrases and sing together! You can practice the pronunciation of different words with the help of pictures or flash cards. Encourage the customer to practice these words and phrases even when you aren't visiting them. Songs, word games and phrases develop the communication - use your imagination!