Believing Behavior

"When people show you who they are, believe them." Maya Angelou

So many times the people who come for therapy are surprised by another person's behavior -- because that behavior is not matched by words.  For instance, a person might notice that someone is not doing what he or she said they did.  My advice is:  trust the behavior. When behavior and talk are not congruent:  trust the behavior.  That does not mean that we need to write the other person off, but it does mean that we might alter to what extent we want to trust what that person says. What does this have to do with caregiving?  Even with someone with dementia, trust that their behavior is telling you something.  Perhaps they are in pain, or have a urinary tract infection, or are dehydrated, or are anxious.  We can learn much by observing another person's behavior.