Dementia can affect how a person is able to communicate, which means they might need support to understand and express themselves.

 

There are two aspects of communication; expressive and receptive. Difficulties with expressive communication may mean that the person has difficulty thinking of what they want to say, remembering the right words or in actually producing words and sentences. 

Sometimes people with dementia have difficulties saying what they want to say in socially appropriate ways. They may struggle to interact with others, take turns in conversation, or to follow social rules. They might also find expressing themselves through writing difficult. 

Dementia also affects receptive communication, making it hard to understand what is being said or to follow instructions or plot lines. It can mean that a person doesn't follow advice because they simply hadn't understood the information. A person may also have difficulties understanding gestures or body language, or have problems understanding what they are reading. 

When a person with dementia has difficulties with either expressing or understanding, you might observe that they:

  • Ask the same question a number of times
  • Tell the same story or give the same piece of information a number of times
  • Have difficulty starting up a conversation and keeping it going
  • Have trouble following and participating in a conversation, especially when there's a group of people talking
  • Drift from the pointing conversation
  • Struggle to think of names of people, places, objects or muddle up words
  • Have trouble following TV programmes
  • Change the subject unexpectedly
  • Talk about the past a lot
  • Start to say something and then forget what they were talking about
  • Swear in a way that is out of character
  • Say things that are not true
  • Withdraw and not participate
  • Experience frustration. 

This can be difficult for you as well as for the person you care for. You might eat experience a range of emotions, including feeling:

  • Overwhelmed 
  • Confused 
  • Exhausted
  • Angry 
  • Upset, 
  • Low in mood 
  • Amused
  • Impatient
  • Defiant
  • Lonely

At Dementia Carers Count, we have courses and resources specifically designed to address the everyday problems you may encounter when caring for someone with dementia, including tips to help you communicate effectively.