Touch as Communication

There was a moment when I stopped trying to talk my father back to me—and just held his hand instead.

He didn’t know what year it was. He didn’t always know my name. But when I held his hand with both of mine and just sat there—something happened. His breathing slowed. His shoulders dropped. His fingers curled around mine.

He knew. He just knew in a different way.

This week’s issue goes deep on one of the most powerful, underused tools in dementia caregiving: therapeutic touch. How to do it. When to offer it. How to read whether your person wants it. And why it works even when words no longer do.