We communicate for all sorts of reasons, to express needs, to convey information - or to gain it - to develop understanding, for pur enjoyment or to meet social or psychological needs, such as expressing feelings, establishing relationships, asking for help and reassurance, or giving an opinion.
Good communication uses both our output and input systems. Our output - or expressive - system involves our ability to speak, sign, gesture, use body language and write or type. It relies on other abilities such as the organisation of our thoughts, our ability to recall words and put them into sentences, as well as the muscles needed to speak and to write or type.
Our input or receptive system involves our ability to understand the speech, sign, gestures and body language of others, as well as our ability to read or understand symbols. The input system relies on us hearing words and understanding the meaning behind them. This system also stores our ability to know how and when to use an item, such as when a fork might be better than a spoon or why a dog might live in a house, but not a fox. Dementia can affect all of these abilities and make communication a struggle. It's important to remember communication needs to be enjoyable and not just a means to an end, it's important to make time for chatter and not just to communicate about needs.