How do you find activities for the person with dementia that fits their old interests without coming off as demeaning? How do you avoid talking to people with dementia as a child?

Simplify don’t baby-fy. If someone was an accountant, you can ask them to look at someone and ask for their opinion. You should keep it simple, and ideally you should also know what that person is capable of. Work with their expertise, but that also means that you have a good understanding of their past and their interests to ask questions they’ll answer. People like to feel like they can help, so picking things that can help provide a purpose and sense of value that also plays to their strengths while really truthfully wanting their opinion. Additionally, when you’re asking these questions, you can ask them in a way that offers more options or possibilities that essentially creates this opportunity of more discussion or decisions so that the person genuinely feels valued and you genuinely value that person. It has to come from genuine intention and interest on your part.