Everyone’s experience with dementia is different. That’s because everyone’s brains are different and because there are many forms of dementia, each affecting the brain in different ways.
Nevertheless, difficulty with communication is a significant part of living with dementia for everyone. The inability to communicate and make yourself understood can be very frustrating and you might feel more stress, anger and resentment.
As part of your dementia, you may have difficulty:
- finding the right words, or get words mixed up
- processing and understanding what other people are saying to you, or you might get only part of it
- reading and writing.
Your friends and family/whānau may notice:
- while you’re speaking fluently, they’re not able to understand what you’re saying
- you lose the normal social conventions and may unintentionally interrupt or ignore people
- you find it hard to follow conversations, too many people talking at once may be overwhelming (for example, at family functions) and so having a conversation with just one person maybe easier for you
- you have more difficulty expressing what you’re feeling.
If you’re finding communication difficult, discuss this with the people closest to you and work out ways to make communicating easier – maybe using pictures or cards you can point to will help.
Use body language
There’s more to communication than words.
When we communicate, more than half of what we say is conveyed through body language, while another large proportion comes from the tone and pitch of our voice.
If you can’t find the words to make yourself understood, remember that facial expressions and gestures can help.
Other reasons that may affect communication
It’s important to think about what else might be causing you trouble when communicating. It’s a good idea to have your eyesight and hearing checked regularly as glasses and hearing aids may help.
Other suggestions to make communication easier include:
- take your time
- tell people you have a problem with thinking, communicating and remembering
- if you don’t understand what someone says, ask them to repeat it
- remember it’s okay to ask something over and over again
- if too many people or too much noise bothers you, such as in shopping malls or supermarkets, try and avoid those places at busy times – wearing ear plugs in noisy environments may help but take them out if you want to talk to someone!
- if you lose a thought, let it go – it’s okay if you forget it and it might come back to you later.