355: When Being Right Makes Everything Wrong

About this episode

Teepa Snow discusses the importance of curiosity over correction in dementia care relationships.

You know you're right — but does saying so actually help? In this episode, dementia care expert Teepa Snow and host Greg Phelps explore one of the most common traps care partners fall into: the impulse to correct. Whether it's a misremembered fact, an outdated term, or a flat-out wrong take, the instinct to set the record straight can quietly damage the relationship you're working so hard to protect. Teepa shares why curiosity is more powerful than correction — and how reframing what someone says, rather than rebutting it, keeps the conversation moving forward without anyone feeling attacked or embarrassed. She also reveals why the skills that make you a better care partner have a funny way of improving every relationship in your life. In this episode: • Why "being right" can mean losing the relationship • How to use curiosity to redirect — without arguing • The art of restating what someone said so they feel heard, not corrected • Why these skills work on your kids, your spouse, and your coworkers too There's a line in Teepa's new Dementia Care Partner Guide that captures what today's episode is really about: let go of what is missing, and learn to celebrate and use…

People in this episode

Host: Greg Phelps

Guest: Teepa Snow

Topics covered

• dementia care
• communication
• relationship building
• curiosity
• correction
• care partner skills

Keywords

• dementia
• care partner
• communication skills
• curiosity
• relationship
• correction
• GEMS States
• Hand-under-Hand
• Positive Action Starters

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Dementia Care Partner Guide

More episodes of Dementia Care Partner Podcast with Teepa Snow

• 360: Is Doomscrolling Rewiring Our Brains — and What Does That Mean for Dementia Care? · June 12, 2026 · 7 min
• 359: Does Supporting Someone Living with Dementia Shorten your Life Span? · June 5, 2026 · 7 min
• 358: Rethinking Brain Change with Neuroplasticity in Mind · May 29, 2026 · 6 min
• 357: Three Hearing Aids Later, They Still Won't Wear Them — Here's Why · May 22, 2026 · 6 min
• 356: Rethinking Environments for People Living with Dementia · May 15, 2026 · 8 min
• 354: When Being Right Isn't Worth It: Rethinking The Need to Correct · May 1, 2026 · 9 min