Elderly people respond best to a calm and unhurried environment. This is not always easy to provide as their behavior can sometimes be irritating. If they get excited or upset then they may become more confused and more difficult to look after. Although sometimes it can be extremely difficult, it is best to be patient and not to get upset yourself. You should always encourage old people to do as much as possible for themselves but be ready to lend a helping hand when necessary.

Failing memory makes it difficult for the person to recall all the basic kinds of information we take for granted. The obvious way to help in this situation is to supply the information that is missing

and help them make sense of what is going on. You must use every opportunity to provide information but remember to keep it simple and straight forward.

"Good morning, Mum. This is Fiona, your daughter. It is eight o′clock, so if you get up now, we can have breakfast downstairs."

When the elderly person makes confused statements, e.g. about going out to his or her old employment or visiting a dead relative, correct in a calm matter-of-fact fashion: "You don′t work in the office any more. You are retired now. Will you help me with the dishes?"

We rely heavily on the information provided by signposts, clocks, calendars and newspapers. These assist us to organize and direct our behavior. Confused old people need these aids all the time to compensate for their poor memory. Encourage them to use reminder boards or diaries for important coming events and label the contents of different cupboards and drawers. Many other aids such as information cards, old photos, scrap books, addresses or shopping lists could help in individual case.

A difficulty experienced by other people is that they may ___________.

• A.worry too much about the old person' s condition
• B.find it difficult sometimes to deal with matters calmly
• C.try to do too much for the person concerned
• D.fail to understand the old person' s problems