People with dementia often experience a gradual decrease in their ability to communicate as their dementia progresses.  This can become frustating for people with dementia and for those trying to communication with them.  The different types of dementia affect the brain in different ways however there are often similarities in their losses.

How Communication is Affected

• In the early stages, people have difficulty finding the right word; and in the later stage words maybe lost completely
• It becomes harder to put sentences together
• Automatic responses such as "hello" are maintained for the longest period of time
• In the late stages, a person with dementia may have very limited speech.

Remember - there is more to communication that what you say.  Communication is made up of body language (including facial expresssions), tone and pitch of voice and the words that are used.  Carers need to be creative and use all forms of communication possible.  The Four S's of communication for people with dementia  are:

Slow, Simple, Specific, Show

What Can You Do To Help?

• Make sure that you have the person's attention.  Eye contact is important
• Use touch to help keep the person's attention as well as show affection
• Be calm and gentle
• Where possible approach the person from the front
• Try to avoid talking when there is competing noise ie from TV or radio
• Keep your sentences short and simple and make one point at a time
• Alow time for the person to process the statement and respond
• Use people's names rather than pronouns (ie he or she)
• Frame questions very simply, asking only one thing a a time
• If you need to repeat a question, use the same words as the first time
• Acknowledge if the person is having difficulty trying to communicate
• Check that hearing or eyesight is not impaired.  Glasses or a hearing aid may help the person communicate better.

Remember - people retain their feelings and emotions even if they can't understand what is being said.  Maintain the person's dignity and self esteem at all times.

What To Try and Avoid?

• Avoid arguing with or contradicting people with dementia
• Avoid being condescending - the tone will be picked up
• Don't talk about people in front of them as though they are not there
• Don't ask questions that rely on a good memory.

Quality of life is dependent on interactions and relationships with others.  Therefore it is important to keep working on improving communication with people with dementia, even if it is a complex and challenging process.

For more detailed information, please visit Alzheimers New Zealand website and browse their resources section www.alzheimers.org.nz/resources.php.