If you have ever felt that communication in dementia care suddenly stops working — you are not alone.

What worked before no longer works.

Explaining more does not help.
Correcting often makes things worse.
Even simple situations can turn into resistance, confusion, or distress.

This is not random.

It reflects changes in how the brain processes information, stress, and interaction.

This guide brings together a complete series on functional supportive communication in dementia.

You can read each article on its own.
But together, they form a structured, practical approach:

from understanding
to everyday situations
to advanced strategies
to real-life application

Part 1: Understanding and Adjusting Communication

Start here if you want to understand why communication changes — and why common approaches often fail.

How to Communicate with Someone with Dementia (What Actually Works)
When explaining more stops working — and what to do instead.

What Is Functional Supportive Communication in Dementia?
Why communication is no longer about information — but about regulation.

Why People with Dementia Resist Care
What looks like refusal is often something else entirely.

The Hidden Rules of Communication in Dementia
Why timing, not words, determines what works.

The Most Common Communication Mistakes Caregivers Make
Why good intentions often create more resistance.

Part 2: What to Do in Everyday Situations

This is where understanding becomes action.

These articles focus on the situations caregivers face every day.

How to Start an Interaction the Right Way
The first seconds often determine everything that follows.

How to Guide Step by Step (Without Overwhelming)
Why too much help often creates more resistance.

How to Support Daily Tasks (Dressing, Hygiene, Eating)
Why everyday situations often become the most difficult.

What to Do When Someone Says No
Why “no” is often not about refusal — and how to respond without conflict.

How to Handle Anger and Aggression in Dementia
Why escalation happens — and how to respond without making it worse.

How to Reduce Stress in Everyday Situations
Why small adjustments prevent most difficult situations.

Part 3: Advanced Communication Strategies

When basic adjustments are not enough, communication becomes more about how you are present than what you say.

How to Use Tone, Eye Contact, and Body Language
Why how you communicate matters more than the words themselves.

How to Follow the Person’s Focus
Why connection comes before guidance.

How to Create Good Moments in Everyday Life
Why small moments matter more than perfect care.

How to Communicate When Words No Longer Work
What remains when language fades.

Part 4: Common Challenging Situations

These are situations many caregivers find particularly difficult — and where communication often breaks down.

How to Handle Repeated Questions
Why the same question is asked again and again — and what actually helps.

How to Handle Confusion and Misunderstanding
Why correcting often makes things worse.

How to Support Transitions in Dementia
Why moving from one situation to another often creates resistance.

Part 5: Putting It All Together

At some point, communication is no longer about isolated techniques.

It becomes a way of working — moment by moment.

A Practical Communication Framework for Everyday Care
How to bring everything together in real-life situations.

How to Use This Guide

You do not need to read everything at once.

If you are new to dementia care, start with Part 1.
If you are dealing with daily challenges, go directly to Part 2.
If communication already feels difficult, Part 3 and 4 will be most relevant.

Over time, the goal is not to remember techniques.

It is to adjust how you meet the person:

• slower

• more structured

• more supportive

• less dependent on explanation

A Final Perspective

In dementia care, communication is not primarily about exchanging information.

It is about:

• reducing stress

• supporting understanding

• creating safety

• making everyday life manageable

When communication works, many “behavioural symptoms” become less intense — or disappear entirely.

If you want more structured, step-by-step guidance for specific situations, you can continue deeper into the full series within this section.

She doesn’t understand. He keeps getting it wrong. She thinks something that isn’t true. Confusion is a central part of dementia. It can appear as misunderstanding situations, misinterpreting what is said, believing something that is not accurate, or reacting to something others do not see.

For caregivers, this can be difficult. The natural reaction is o…

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Dementia care is not made up of isolated situations. It is a flow of moments: starting an interaction, guiding a task, responding to resistance, handling emotions, and moving between situations. Each moment affects the next.

This is why communication cannot be reduced to single techniques. It needs a structure. A way to understand what to do - in the mom…

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Where are we going? What time is it? Have I eaten? Again. And again. And again.

Repeated questions are one of the most common - and most exhausting - parts of dementia care. Many caregivers try to answer clearly. They explain. They reassure. They repeat. But the question keeps coming back.

This can lead to frustration, impatience, and feeling stuck. Becau…

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One of the most difficult moments in dementia care is when communication changes fundamentally. Words no longer reach through. Conversations fall apart. Questions remain unanswered.

The person may stop responding verbally, use fewer words, or lose language completely. For many caregivers, this feels like losing contact. Like the connection is disappearin…

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Many difficult situations in dementia care happen during transitions. Not during the activity itself - but in the shift between them. From sitting to standing. From eating to going to the bathroom. From rest to activity.

These moments often trigger hesitation, confusion, resistance, or agitation. Even when the activity itself is familiar.

What Is Happenin…

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In dementia care, it is easy to focus on what needs to be done. Tasks. Routines. Practical needs. Getting through the day. But something important can be lost in this focus: The small moments that create connection, meaning, and well-being.

Because even when abilities change, the ability to experience a moment often remains.

What Is Happening in the Person

Read more

In many care situations, the goal is clear: help the person get dressed, guide them to the bathroom, support eating, or complete a task. So we try to lead. We give instructions. We guide the activity. We move the situation forward.

But something doesn’t work. The person resists. Becomes distracted. Or disengages completely. Because one essential step is …

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In many situations, caregivers focus on finding the right words. They try to explain clearly. Use simple sentences. Repeat when needed. But something still doesn’t work. The person reacts. Pulls away. Becomes unsure - or resistant.

Because in dementia care, communication is often not understood through words first. It is understood through tone, body lan…

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Many challenging situations in dementia care seem to appear suddenly. Resistance. Restlessness. Irritation. Aggression. But in most cases, they do not start in that moment. They build up. Often slowly. Often quietly. Through the way everyday situations are structured.

What Is Happening in the Person

When dementia affects the brain, the ability to handle e…

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Few situations feel as overwhelming as when a person with dementia becomes angry or aggressive. The reaction can be sudden. A raised voice. Pushing away. Hitting. Intense frustration.

In these moments, many caregivers feel surprised, unsure, or even afraid. And the instinct is often to calm the person down with words, explain, or take control. But in dem…

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Few things are more difficult in dementia care than hearing: No. No to showering. No to getting dressed. No to eating. No to help. It can feel like resistance. Rejection. Or even opposition. Especially when the situation is important.

But in dementia care, no often means something very different.

What Is Happening in the Person

When dementia affects the br…

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Many of the most challenging moments in dementia care happen in everyday tasks. Getting dressed. Taking a shower. Eating a meal. These are simple activities - but they often lead to resistance, frustration, withdrawal, and conflict.

Not because the person does not want to cooperate. But because the situation becomes too demanding.

What Is Happening in the…

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Many caregivers try to help by giving clear instructions. They explain what to do. They break tasks down. They guide step by step. And still, something doesn’t work. The person hesitates. Stops midway. Becomes confused. Or resists.

Because even when we try to simplify - we often still give too much, too fast.

What Is Happening in the Person

Dementia affect…

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Many difficult situations in dementia care do not start with resistance. They start with how we approach. We come in quickly. We speak while moving. We go straight to the task. And something shifts. The person hesitates. Pulls away. Says no. Or becomes passive.

What happens next often depends on something very small: The way the interaction begins.

What I…

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Most caregivers are trying to do the right thing. They are patient. They explain. They guide. They try to help. And still, situations become difficult. There is resistance. Frustration. Misunderstanding.

Not because they are doing something wrong on purpose - but because the strategies they use no longer match how the brain works in dementia.

What Is Happening in the Person

As dementia progresses, the brain changes in ways that are not always visible:

Processing becomes slower

Understanding becomes less precise

The ability to hold information decreases

Stress tolerance is reduced

This means the person cannot compensate in the same way as before. When communication becomes too demanding, the brain does not adapt. It reacts. Often through confusion, withdrawal, resistance, or agitation. These reactions are not intentional. They are responses to overload.

Why This Becomes Difficult

Most communication strategies are built for a healthy brain. They assume that the person can follow explanations, remember instructions, and adjust behavior. In dementia, these assumptions no longer hold.

So when we try harder using the same strategies, we often make the situation more difficult. This is why well-intended communication can lead to more resistance.

The Most Common Mistakes

These mistakes are extremely common - and completely understandable.

1. Explaining Too Much

When something doesn’t work, we often try to explain more. We need to go now because it’s late and you haven’t eaten yet. For the person, this becomes too much information. The result: overload, confusion, resistance.

What helps instead: Let’s go eat.

2. Repeating Too Quickly

When there is no response, we repeat. Often immediately. Put your arm in... put your arm in... come on, your arm... This creates pressure. The person has not had time to process the first message.

What helps instead: Say it once. Wait.

3. Asking Too Many Questions

Questions require processing and decision-making. Do you want to shower now? Should we go to the bathroom? For many people with dementia, this is difficult. It can lead to hesitation, no responses, or withdrawal.

What helps instead: Guide instead of asking. Let’s go to the bathroom.

4. Trying to Correct or Convince

When something is wrong, we try to fix it. No, that’s not correct. You already ate. This often leads to frustration, argument, or escalation. Because the person is not able to update their understanding in that moment.

What helps instead: Acknowledge the feeling - not the facts.

5. Moving Too Fast

Care situations often have a natural tempo. But for the person, this tempo is too high. We move quickly, give instructions while acting, and expect immediate cooperation. This creates overload.

What helps instead: Slow the entire situation down.

6. Talking While Doing

We often speak while performing tasks. This creates two streams of information: verbal and physical. For the person, this can be too much.

What helps instead: Separate action and communication. Pause, speak, act.

7. Continuing Despite Resistance

When resistance appears, we often continue. Because the task needs to be done. But continuing increases stress. Which increases resistance. Which can lead to escalation.

What helps instead: Pause. Reset the situation.

What These Mistakes Have in Common

They all increase cognitive load, pressure, and speed. And they decrease understanding, sense of control, and ability to participate.

What Helps Instead

Effective communication in dementia is not about doing more. It is about doing less - but differently.

Reduce: fewer words, fewer steps, fewer demands

Slow down: more pauses, more time, lower tempo

Support: guide actions, use the environment, stay present

A Practical Example

Situation: Brushing teeth. Instead of Go brush your teeth now, you need to get ready for bed, try going to the bathroom, picking up the toothbrush, handing it over, and saying Brush your teeth. Then wait.

Why This Matters

Many challenging situations in dementia care are not caused by the person. They are created in the interaction. When we change how we communicate, we often change the outcome. This is why communication is one of the most powerful tools we have in dementia care - especially before considering more invasive measures.

Summary

Common communication strategies often increase difficulty.

More explanation, speed, and pressure lead to overload.

Resistance is often created in the interaction.

Reducing demands improves participation.

Small adjustments have large effects.

So far, we have focused on understanding. In the next articles, we move into something more concrete: What to do - step by step - in real-life situations.

This article is part of a series on Dementia Communication That Works.

The series explores how changes in attention, understanding, and stress tolerance affect everyday situations — and how small adjustments in communication can reduce resistance, confusion, and distress.

Further articles in this series focus on practical “what to do” approaches in real-life situations.

Many caregivers try to improve communication by finding better words. They explain more clearly. They choose simpler sentences. They repeat when needed. And still, something doesn’t work. The person hesitates. Does not respond. Or reacts in unexpected ways.

Because in dementia, communication is not primarily shaped by what we say. It is shaped by how and when we say it.

What Is Happening in the Person

Dementia affects more than language. It affects the systems that make communication possible in real time:

Processing speed slows down

Attention becomes fragile

The ability to shift focus is reduced

The ability to interpret context weakens

This means that communication no longer happens smoothly. There is a delay. A gap between hearing, understanding, and responding. If we move too fast, the person cannot keep up. Even if the words are simple.

Why This Becomes Difficult

In everyday life, communication is fast. We speak while moving. We give instructions while doing other things. We expect immediate responses. This creates an invisible pressure.

For a person with dementia, this pressure can lead to overload, confusion, withdrawal, or resistance. The problem is not always the message. It is the timing. When communication happens faster than the brain can process, the situation becomes unmanageable.

The Hidden Rules

To communicate effectively in dementia, we need to follow a different set of rules. They are rarely taught - but they are critical.

Rule 1: Slow Down More Than Feels Natural

Processing takes longer. If you speak at your normal pace, you are already too fast. Pause after speaking. Give time before repeating. Often, what looks like no response is simply delayed processing.

Rule 2: One Message at a Time

The brain can no longer handle multiple steps at once. Not: Let’s go to the bathroom, brush your teeth, and get ready for bed. But: Let’s go to the bathroom. Then pause.

Rule 3: Timing Is More Important Than Wording

You can say the right thing at the wrong time. If the person is distracted, tired, or overwhelmed, even simple communication may fail. Wait for a moment of contact: eye contact, stillness, attention. Then speak.

Rule 4: Show Before You Tell

Words require processing. The environment supports understanding. Instead of explaining, move to the bathroom, pick up the toothbrush, start the action. The situation becomes clearer than the instruction.

Rule 5: Support the Response

The person may understand - but not initiate. Help them complete the loop: guide the hand, point, model the action. Communication is not complete until action is supported.

Rule 6: Stay in Rhythm

Good communication has a rhythm: you act, you wait, the person responds. If you move too quickly, the rhythm breaks. When rhythm breaks, stress increases. When rhythm is maintained, cooperation becomes easier.

These interaction patterns are also reflected in communication-based approaches like Marte Meo, where small timing adjustments can significantly improve interaction quality.

What Helps in Practice

You don’t need better explanations. You need better timing.

Slow down your pace: Speak less. Wait more.

Create clear moments: Stop moving. Make eye contact. Then communicate.

Use pauses actively: Silence is not failure. It is processing time.

Match your actions to your words: Let the situation carry the message.

What Often Makes It Worse

Talking while doing: Too many inputs at once.

Filling every silence: Removes processing time.

Repeating too quickly: Creates pressure instead of clarity.

Giving multiple instructions: Leads to overload.

A Practical Example

Situation: Getting up from a chair. Instead of Come on, stand up now, we need to go, try standing in front, making eye contact, pausing, then saying Let’s stand up. Pause. Offer your hand. Wait.

What Changes When Timing Changes

When communication follows the person’s pace, understanding improves, resistance decreases, and stress reduces - not because the disease changes, but because the situation becomes manageable.

Summary

Dementia slows processing and disrupts timing.

Communication often fails because it happens too fast.

Timing is more important than wording.

One message, one step, one moment.

Pauses are essential, not optional.

Now that we understand timing, we move to something equally important: The most common communication mistakes caregivers make - and why they create more problems than they solve.

This article is part of a series on Dementia Communication That Works.

The series explores how changes in attention, understanding, and stress tolerance affect everyday situations — and how small adjustments in communication can reduce resistance, confusion, and distress.

Further articles in this series focus on practical “what to do” approaches in real-life situations.

Patient refused care. It is one of the most common phrases in clinical notes. But it rarely explains what actually happened. Because in dementia care, resistance is often not about unwillingness. It is about something breaking down in the situation.

What Is Happening in the Person

When dementia progresses, several key functions change:

The ability to understand what is happening

The ability to predict what will happen next

The ability to tolerate demands

The ability to regulate stress

This means that even familiar situations - like getting dressed or taking a shower - can feel new, unclear, or overwhelming. The person may not understand what you want, why it is happening, or what is expected of them.

At the same time, the body still reacts. If the situation feels unclear or pressured, the nervous system activates. Not cognitively - but physically.

Why This Becomes Difficult

Care situations often contain multiple hidden demands: time pressure, multiple steps, physical closeness, loss of control, and uncertainty. For a healthy brain, this is manageable. For a brain affected by dementia, this can quickly become overload.

When overload increases, the person may react with pulling away, saying no, freezing, or becoming irritated or angry. This is not a decision. It is a response. In dementia care, behavioral reactions are often understood as attempts to cope with unmet needs, stress, or confusion - rather than intentional opposition.

A Different Way to Understand Resistance

Instead of asking: Why is the person refusing? Try asking: What in this situation is too much right now? This shift is critical. Because it moves the focus from the person to the interaction.

What Helps in Practice

When resistance appears, the goal is not to push through. It is to reduce pressure and restore regulation.

1. Pause Instead of Pushing

When resistance starts, stop. Give space. Lower the intensity. Continuing often increases stress.

2. Reduce the Demand

Break the situation down. Instead of Let’s take a shower, try Let’s go to the bathroom. Then pause.

3. Use the Environment

Go into the situation instead of explaining it. Stand by the sink. Turn on the water. Let the context support understanding.

4. Support the First Step

Many people cannot initiate actions on their own. Help them start: guide the hand, point, show. This often reduces resistance significantly.

5. Adjust Your Presence

Your tone, speed, and body language matter. Slower movements. Calm voice. Predictable rhythm. This signals safety.

What Often Makes It Worse

Explaining more: More words increase cognitive load.

Repeating instructions quickly: This creates pressure, not clarity.

Arguing or correcting: Trying to convince the person often escalates the situation.

Continuing despite resistance: This can lead to escalation, aggression, or complete shutdown.

What Resistance Can Look Like

Resistance is not always obvious. It can appear as silence, hesitation, looking away, slowing down, or small no signals. If we only react when resistance becomes strong, we are already too late.

What Changes When We Adjust

When we reduce demands and support the situation, we often see less resistance and more cooperation - not because the person suddenly understands more, but because the situation feels manageable.

A Practical Example

Situation: Dressing. Instead of Put your arm in the sleeve, try holding the shirt open, guiding the arm gently, and waiting. No explanation needed. The action becomes clearer than the words.

Why This Matters

Resistance is one of the main sources of stress for caregivers. But it is also one of the most misunderstood. When we interpret resistance as behavior, we often respond with control. When we understand it as overload, we respond with support. That changes everything.

Summary

Resistance is often a stress response - not refusal.

Dementia reduces the ability to understand, initiate, and tolerate demands.

Care situations can quickly become overwhelming.

Reducing pressure is more effective than increasing explanation.

Small adjustments in how we guide can prevent escalation.

This article is part of a series on Dementia Communication That Works.

The series explores how changes in attention, understanding, and stress tolerance affect everyday situations — and how small adjustments in communication can reduce resistance, confusion, and distress.

Further articles in this series focus on practical “what to do” approaches in real-life situations.

In dementia care, we often think communication is about explaining, reminding, and helping the person understand. We repeat instructions. We clarify. We try to be logical. And still, something doesn’t work. The person hesitates. Resists. Becomes confused. Or withdraws completely.

This is where many caregivers feel stuck. Because what used to work - no longer works.

What Is Happening in the Person

Dementia does not only affect memory. It affects the systems that make communication possible:

The ability to process information quickly

The ability to understand context

The ability to interpret tone, intention, and social signals

The ability to plan and initiate actions

The ability to tolerate stress

When these functions change, communication changes with them. The person may still hear your words - but they cannot process them in the same way. Information becomes slower. More fragmented. More demanding. Even simple instructions can become overwhelming.

Why This Becomes Difficult

Most communication is built on an assumption: that the other person can follow, interpret, and respond in real time. In dementia, this assumption often breaks down.

When we speak at normal speed, give multiple pieces of information, or expect quick responses, the person may experience cognitive overload, loss of control, and stress in the nervous system. And when stress increases, the brain prioritizes survival - not understanding.

This is often when we see resistance, withdrawal, irritation, or what appears to be refusal. But what we are seeing is not unwillingness. It is the nervous system trying to cope. In national dementia care guidance, behavioral changes are often understood as expressions of unmet needs or overload - not simply as problematic behavior.

A Shift in Perspective

If communication is no longer primarily about understanding - then what is it about?

It is about helping the person stay regulated enough to participate. This is the core of functional supportive communication.

What Helps in Practice

Functional supportive communication is not about saying more. It is about adjusting how we communicate. Small changes make a big difference:

1. Slow Down

Give the brain time to process. Pause after you speak. Wait before repeating.

2. Reduce Information

One message at a time. Not: Let’s go to the bathroom and brush your teeth and get ready for bed. But: Let’s go to the bathroom.

3. Use the Situation

Show instead of explaining. Go to the bathroom. Stand next to the sink. Let the environment support understanding.

4. Support the Start

Many people with dementia struggle to initiate actions. Gently guide the first step: hand movement, positioning, pointing.

5. Use Tone and Body

Often, how you say something matters more than what you say. Calm tone. Eye contact. Predictable rhythm. These signals reduce stress and create safety.

What Often Makes It Worse

Even with good intentions, some common strategies increase difficulty:

Explaining more: More words do not create more understanding - often the opposite.

Repeating quickly: Repeating without pause increases pressure, not clarity.

Correcting or arguing: Trying to make the person understand can increase stress and resistance.

Moving too fast: Transitions and tasks become overwhelming when the tempo is too high.

What This Means in Everyday Life

When communication changes, behavior changes. What looks like resistance, refusal, or lack of cooperation is often a sign that the communication does not match the person’s current capacity.

When we adjust communication, we often see less resistance, more participation, and calmer situations. Not because the person understands more - but because the situation feels manageable.

A Different Goal

Functional supportive communication is not about getting the person to understand everything or completing tasks as efficiently as possible. It is about creating enough safety and structure for participation, reducing stress in the moment, and supporting the person step by step.

Why This Matters

Research and clinical practice consistently show that how we communicate directly affects behavior, emotional responses, quality of interaction, and caregiver burden. In fact, communication and interaction are among the most powerful non-medical tools we have in dementia care.

A Simple Way to Remember It

Instead of asking: How can I explain this better? Try asking: How can I make this easier to handle right now?

Summary

Dementia affects how communication is processed - not just memory.

What looks like resistance is often overload.

Communication must shift from information to regulation.

Small adjustments in tempo, structure, and tone make a big difference.

The goal is not understanding - but participation.

In the next article, we go deeper into one of the most challenging situations: Why people with dementia resist care - and what to do instead.

This article is part of a series on Dementia Communication That Works.

The series explores how changes in attention, understanding, and stress tolerance affect everyday situations — and how small adjustments in communication can reduce resistance, confusion, and distress.

Further articles in this series focus on practical “what to do” approaches in real-life situations.

You explain.
You repeat.
You try to stay calm.

And still, something doesn’t work.

They hesitate.
They say no.
They become confused — or withdraw.

And you’re left thinking:

“What am I doing wrong?”

You’re not doing it wrong

You’re doing what works —
for a healthy brain.

But dementia changes something fundamental.

Not just memory.

But how the brain handles:

• information

• timing

• stress

• interaction

Which means:

The same communication that used to help
can now create resistance

Why this feels so difficult

Most people try to solve these situations by:

• explaining more

• repeating more clearly

• being more structured

• being more firm

It makes sense.

But here’s the problem:

When the brain cannot process more — more becomes overload

And overload looks like:

• “refusal”

• “resistance”

• “aggression”

• “not cooperating”

But it’s not that simple.

What is actually happening

In many situations, the person is not refusing.

They are trying to cope.

The situation is too fast
Too complex
Or too unclear

So the nervous system reacts.

Not with logic.

But with protection.

A different way to approach it

What if the goal is not:

❌ to explain better
❌ to convince
❌ to get through the task

But instead:

to make the situation manageable

This is what this series gives you

This is not a theory-based guide.

It is built around one question:

What do I do — in the moment?

You will learn how to handle real situations like:

• when someone says no

• repeated questions

• confusion and misunderstandings

• daily care (dressing, hygiene, eating)

• anger and emotional reactions

With clear, practical guidance.

A simple framework you can actually use

Across all situations, one structure repeats:

Connect → Follow → Guide → Support → Adjust

This means:

• create contact first

• meet the person where they are

• guide one small step

• support the action

• adjust continuously

Simple.

But powerful.

What changes when you use this approach

You may start to notice:

• less resistance

• calmer situations

• more cooperation

• better moments together

Not because the person changes.

But because the situation fits them better

Who this is for

This series is written for:

• family caregivers

• healthcare professionals

• anyone supporting a person with dementia

No prior knowledge needed.

Only real-life situations.

Start here (free articles)

If this is new to you, begin with:

• What Is Functional Supportive Communication in Dementia

• Why People with Dementia Resist Care

• The Hidden Rules of Communication

• The Most Common Communication Mistakes

These give you the foundation.

If you want practical, step-by-step guidance

The full series goes further.

This is where you learn:

exactly what to do
exactly how to respond
exactly how to adjust in real situations

One thing to remember

When communication works, everything changes.

Not perfectly.
Not every time.

But often enough to make everyday life easier.

A simple way to think about it

• Less words

• Slower pace

• Simpler steps

• Do it together

If you recognize yourself in this

If you’ve felt:

• “Why isn’t this working?”

• “Why do they resist?”

• “Why does everything become so difficult?”

Then this series is for you.

Start with the free articles
Continue if you want practical tools you can actually use

This article is part of a series on Dementia Communication That Works.

The series explores how changes in attention, understanding, and stress tolerance affect everyday situations — and how small adjustments in communication can reduce resistance, confusion, and distress.

Further articles in this series focus on practical “what to do” approaches in real-life situations.