{"id":1707,"date":"2023-04-06T14:02:53","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T18:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allhomecarematters.com\/?p=1707"},"modified":"2023-06-15T14:26:03","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T18:26:03","slug":"dementia-the-impact-of-communication-difficulties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allhomecarematters.com\/dementia-the-impact-of-communication-difficulties\/","title":{"rendered":"Dementia: The impact of communication difficulties"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Tina Kad<\/p>\n

Specialist Speech & Language Therapist at Speech Therapy Interactive<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Hello, my name is Tina and I am a Specialist Speech & Language Therapist at Speech Therapy Interactive. I work with adults with communication and swallowing difficulties, as a result of an acquired or progressive neurological conditions. My job also includes educating and raising awareness supporting health professionals and families in the community to provide the best care for their clients\/loved ones.<\/p>\n

Today I am here to talk to you about the impact of communication for someone with Dementia, and how you can help\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Let\u2019s look at the different types of communication difficulties a person with dementia may experience:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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1. Aphasia<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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People with dementia very often experience symptoms of aphasia (generally people with Alzheimer\u2019s or vascular dementia). This includes word finding difficulties, not being able to remember names of people or places they\u2019ve known their whole lives, making errors in their speech, whether that\u2019s grammatical or semantic. They may have difficulties understanding language. Primary Progressive Aphasia has a significant impact on a person\u2019s language abilities.\u00a0Symptoms include these difficulties: They may have difficulties with comprehending spoken or written language, particularly single words, difficulties with comprehending word meanings, naming objects, difficulty retrieving words,frequently pausing in speech while searching for words or have difficulty repeating phrases or sentences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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2. Cognitive Communication difficulties<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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People with dementia encounter many cognitive impairments. This includes a decline in memory, difficulties with planning, organising and sequencing thoughts, difficulties with attention where they may be easily distracted making it difficult to stay on topic or even distracted by their environment.. These cognitive difficulties can impact their ability to communicate their thoughts effectively and be understood by others.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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3. Apraxia<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Apraxia is one of the most common cognitive difficulties in those with dementia. It can affect their ability to move their muscles. It is important to remember that the muscles themselves are not damaged, it is the pathway from the brain to those muscles that are damaged. Apraxia is the inability of the body to respond to messages that are normally sent from the brain, such as the brain telling the hand to move a fork to the mouth. Generally, a person with apraxia as a result of dementia will not be able to connect the two ideas until someone physically moves the fork to the person\u2019s mouth. People with dementia may experience difficulty when eating \u2013 as they are unable to plan and sequence their mouth muscles in order to chew their food and may pouch their food in their mouth..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Strategies that you can use to facilitate communication<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Supported conversation strategies<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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  • Reduce distractions and background noise<\/li>\n
  • Ensure you are in the person\u2019s line of vision, maintaining eye contact, sitting face to face, so they know you wish to communicate<\/li>\n
  • Keep your messages short and simple e.g. starting with the main topic then add the details later<\/li>\n
  • Make sure that the order of your comments follow the actual time sequence e.g. \u201cI went to the shop, and then I met Sarah\u201d.<\/li>\n
  • Use a total communication approach to supplement what you are saying e.g. using natural gestures, referring to objects and pictures nearby e.g. pointing to the clock when talking about the time, pointing to a photograph of a family member you are talking about.<\/li>\n
  • Emphasise key words.<\/li>\n
  • Try to use key terms that link to personal events\/ scenarios in their lives to provide familiarity for more effective comprehension.<\/li>\n
  • Repeat or Rephrase information if the person indicates that they have not understood you. You can also use closed ended (YES\/NO) questions to clarify.<\/li>\n
  • Simplify your questions as necessary to avoid frustration. Ask questions one at a time<\/li>\n
  • As dementia progresses, the person may become less able to initiate conversation; you may have to start taking this initiative.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Communication passport<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Communication passports are a great tool to build rapport and\u00a0 initiate conversations with a person with dementia. It is also a great way to support them when they enter an unfamiliar environment e.g. hospital. Communication passports consist of the key information about the individuals. This includes things such as their likes and dislikes, the best ways to communicate with them and how to communicate with them. It can be in the form of a book or cards and just generally assist someone new to get to know the individual and how to communicate effectively with them. This will make communication for the individual easier with new people they encounter as it provides the new conversation partner with some background information of the person.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Memory box<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Memory boxes are boxes that contain an item or items that are meaningful in some way to the individual.\u00a0 This may be a treasured personal item, or an object that they can associate with their past. Memory boxes work on the principles of reminiscence or \u2018life story\u2019 therapy. Because the oldest memories are the ones that people may retain the best. It can give great comfort to see and talk about items that trigger those memories. Not only do they promote reassurance and familiarity, but they can also help with the practical issue of wayfinding \u2013 may help the individual locate their own space.<\/p>\n

    The Benefits of a Memory Box:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Offer familiarity<\/i><\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Offer comfort<\/i><\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Help with wayfinding<\/i><\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Trigger memories<\/i><\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Provide opportunities for communication<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Reminiscence therapy<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    In collaboration with the individual, create a life story book. This would include people and events from the past<\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0This works on the individual\u2019s functional communication, recognition and self-esteem by providing them with opportunities for communication and social contact. This will enable the individual to build links between past and present. Include photographs and annotate them using the individual\u2019s own words.<\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Use prompts to initiate conversation \u2013 this could include photos, newspapers, music and you could also incorporate smells and textures.<\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Arrange the book in chronological order from her childhood to her present using themes such as family, friends, early years, school days, interests, work, achievements, special places and things.<\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0All of this will improve cognition, recall, communication, and improve mood.<\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0It will reinforce a sense of identity and regain a sense of happiness through nostalgia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    If you have any questions and want to have a chat, you can contact Tina directly \u2013\u00a0<\/b>tina@speechtherapyinteractive.co.uk<\/b><\/p>\n

    www.speechtherapyinteractive.co.uk<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Tina Kad Specialist Speech & Language Therapist at Speech Therapy Interactive Hello, my name is Tina and I am a Specialist Speech & Language Therapist at Speech Therapy Interactive. I work with adults with communication and swallowing difficulties, as a result of an acquired or progressive neurological conditions. My job also includes educating and raising […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dementiatlc-posts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allhomecarematters.com\/api-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allhomecarematters.com\/api-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allhomecarematters.com\/api-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allhomecarematters.com\/api-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allhomecarematters.com\/api-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/allhomecarematters.com\/api-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1707\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allhomecarematters.com\/api-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allhomecarematters.com\/api-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allhomecarematters.com\/api-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}