The “Yes” portion of Yes and is telling the person you are communicating with that you are accepting what they say, Yes. The “And” builds upon that agreement of “Yes”. You can use this in all types of ways when communicating with a person living with dementiaDementia is not a specific disease. It's an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia..
Mom: I want to go home. You: Yes and I understand. Tell me about your home.
Mom: I want some ice cream right now. You: Yes and so do I! Let’s finish making dinner first. I need your help.
Mom is crying and upset. You don’t know whyLet’s say a person living with dementia is upset we give them some ice cream and they are okay, then they are upset again. We can’t keep giving them ice cream, we need to find out the WHY. Why are they upset? If we don't look for the WHY in any situation we will continue to solve everything with band-aids.... You: Yes I see you are sad (whatever emotion they are feeling) and I am so sorry. or Yes I see you are feeling frustrated and I don’t blame you.