Caregiver's Viewpoint: Validating Dementia Patients Comes Naturally

Author and caregiver Carol Bradley Bursack writes about how she dealt with her father's delusional state from dementia. Before it became a known as 'validation theory,' Bursack sought to allay her father's anxiety by helping re-create the reality he was experiencing.

Dad was adamant. He was waiting for his medical degree to come from the University of Minnesota and wondered why it was taking so long. I did what I usually did, and waited a few days to see if this episode of delusionary thinking would pass. It did not. So, I went to my computer and designed a medical degree with my dad’s name on it, scribbled some “signatures” on the bottom, put it in a mailing envelope and brought it to him, in the nursing home, the following day. He was delighted.