I started treating my dad with dementia like a customer. It doesn't always work, but it has helped a lot.

The author started smiling at his dad with dementia.kate_sept2004/Getty ImagesI used customer service principles to improve interactions with my father.Smiling and positive nonverbal communication helped reduce tension caused by dementia.The approach made caregiving easier for both my father and me.My 91-year-old West-Indian father, a wiry, 5"6' US Army veteran with Alzheimer 's-related dementia, used to be far more cantankerous. He had even taken to frustrated cursing—something I'd never