Communicating and Alzheimer’s Disease
19SHARES
One of the challenges of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease is effectively communicating with them. They may have difficulty expressing their needs or the caregiver may not know how to address their changing ability. Caregivers can also get annoyed or frustrated because their caree repeats words or forgets the words for common items.
To make communication go more smoothly, it helps to understand what the common challenges are, and then move forward with solutions. Once you understand the challenge, it can be easier to communicate with them. You realize what they are experiencing is a normal part of the disease, and not them.
I had a client who did her best to hide her communication challenges. She was actually really good at it. She would throw out a random word if she didn’t remember the word she wanted and would change the subject before her children realized she was struggling. They thought their mom was being difficult, because she was so good at it. It took a two week visit for her daughter to realize that her mom was not in a position to live alone anymore – not due to communication, but due to other deficits.
Common Communication Changes with Alzheimer’s Disease
- Inability to name objects
- Difficulty in finding the correct word for objects, places or people
- Inability to recognize a word or phrase
- Using a general term instead of specific words and descriptions are vague
- Becoming stuck on ideas or words and repeating them over and over
- Easily losing their train of thought
- Using inappropriate, silly, rude, insulting or disrespectful language during conversation
- Increasingly poor written word comprehension
- Gradual loss of writing ability
- Combining languages or returning to native language
- Decreasing levels of speech and use of nonsense syllables
- Reliance on gestures rather than speech
Studies show that people with Alzheimer’s disease retain a strong desire to communicate, despite their challenges.
Communicating and Alzheimer’s Disease
19SHARES
One of the challenges of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease is effectively communicating with them. They may have difficulty expressing their needs or the caregiver may not know how to address their changing ability. Caregivers can also get annoyed or frustrated because their caree repeats words or forgets the words for common items.
To make communication go more smoothly, it helps to understand what the common challenges are, and then move forward with solutions. Once you understand the challenge, it can be easier to communicate with them. You realize what they are experiencing is a normal part of the disease, and not them.
I had a client who did her best to hide her communication challenges. She was actually really good at it. She would throw out a random word if she didn’t remember the word she wanted and would change the subject before her children realized she was struggling. They thought their mom was being difficult, because she was so good at it. It took a two week visit for her daughter to realize that her mom was not in a position to live alone anymore – not due to communication, but due to other deficits.
Common Communication Changes with Alzheimer’s Disease
- Inability to name objects
- Difficulty in finding the correct word for objects, places or people
- Inability to recognize a word or phrase
- Using a general term instead of specific words and descriptions are vague
- Becoming stuck on ideas or words and repeating them over and over
- Easily losing their train of thought
- Using inappropriate, silly, rude, insulting or disrespectful language during conversation
- Increasingly poor written word comprehension
- Gradual loss of writing ability
- Combining languages or returning to native language
- Decreasing levels of speech and use of nonsense syllables
- Reliance on gestures rather than speech
Studies show that people with Alzheimer’s disease retain a strong desire to communicate, despite their challenges.
