The two vignettes depicted in this video show typical examples of troublesome behavior in very old people who are disoriented. The first, Marge, the Blamer, shows an 85-year-old woman accusing her beautician of deliberately ruining her hair. By using the validation method, the beautician does not argue. Instead, she elicits Marge's thoughts and memories through a series of questions. Validated, Marge calms down.

In the second vignette, Muriel the Wanderer, an 86-year-old woman searches the streets for her lost three-year-old daughter. Neither the police nor Muriel's son can convince her that her daughter is now a grown woman, and that the incident took place years ago. The son learns to listen with empathy, reducing his mother's anxieties. In clear "before" and "after" scenes, this video offers techniques that will help reduce burnout for caregivers and alleviate stress for the old person.

Part of the series: Two Videos on the Validation Method. The other video is The More We Get Together.

"It would be a good training tool for activity directors and social workers directly engaged in group work with the severely confused." - Clinical Gerontologist