Healthcare English 8 — Mental Health & Dementia Vocabulary BE

Understanding and using the right vocabulary around dementia and mental health — essential for person-centred, dignified care.

Vocabulary in context

A significant proportion of care home residents live with dementia or other cognitive conditions, and care workers need to understand the clinical vocabulary of these conditions to communicate effectively with the nursing team and to give person-centred care. This exercise covers the key terms — from the stages of dementia to the specific behaviours that require a skilled response.

Ready to practice! Let's go!

Fill in each blank with the correct word from the list:

agitation
cognitive
disorientation
hallucination
repetitive behaviour
resilience
sundowning
therapeutic
validation
wandering

1. The resident shows signs of in the late afternoon — she becomes increasingly confused and restless after 4pm.

2. She is experiencing and believes she can see people in her room who are not there.

3. Use the approach when he insists his wife is coming to pick him up — enter his reality rather than correcting him.

4. Singing familiar songs is considered activity for residents with dementia as it can reduce anxiety.

5. He has been all morning — we found him in three different rooms trying to find the exit.

6. Repetitive questioning is a form of behaviour — respond calmly each time without showing frustration.

7. Her assessment showed a significant decline since last month — a GP review has been requested.

8. His is a sign of distress, not bad behaviour — try to identify the underlying cause before responding.

9. Some residents show as dementia progresses, no longer recognising familiar places or people.

10. The team showed great in managing the challenging behaviours on the unit this week.