One of the first signs that dementia is affecting a person’s ability to communicate can be when a person begins to have difficulty in finding the right word. We all suffer from this ‘tip of the tongue’ experience now and again but for a person with dementia it can become a regular occurrence.

The Alzheimer’s Society says that difficulties with language occur in all forms of dementia but the particular problems experienced by a person will vary according to the type of dementia and level of disability they have.

For example, in fronto-temporal dementia it may be the first symptom that a person develops. In many instances, language skills will vary from day to day and time to time. Make the most of ‘good’ days and learn to cope with the ‘bad’ ones.

An early sign that someone’s language is being affected by dementia is that they can’t find the right words – particularly the names of people. The person may substitute an incorrect word, or may not find any word at all. There may come a time when the person can hardly communicate accurately or successfully through language. This may be distressing for their loved ones, but it’s a normal aspect of their memory loss.

Other factors may also affect the ability of a person with dementia to communicate – including pain, discomfort, illness or the side-effects of medication. If you suspect this might be happening, talk to the person’s GP. If appropriate, make sure the person’s glasses are the correct prescription, that their hearing aid is working properly, and that their dentures fit well and are comfortable.

Early communication difficulties in Alzheimer’s Disease include:

• Word finding difficulties

• Repetition of ideas

• Talking round a subject (circumlocution)

• Aware of difficulties (issues of denial)

• Poor inferencing

Communication difficulties in the mid stage include:

• Mild to moderate difficulty in understanding language

• Use of nonsense words

• Repetition of questions

• Fluent but inappropriate content

• Unable to keep on the topic of conversation

• Poor use of pronouns

• Reduced awareness

Late stages of the disease include:

• Unintelligible speech

• Incoherent speech

• Non fluent

• Echolalia (repetition of words or sentences they hear)

Terminal stage:

• No speech or echolailic

• Understanding of language severely impaired.

• No social interaction

See next week’s post for how speech and language therapists can help a person with dementia communicate.

For more information go to: www.alzheimers.org.uk

Written by Rachel Harrison, speech and language therapist, on behalf of Integrated Treatment Services. www.integratedtreatmentservices.co.uk