Speech language therapy for dementia patients

Communication strategies

Once a dementia patient starts to struggle with communication it can lead them to feel frustrated and to struggle with the means to communicate effectively, with their family and carer team. They begin to feel frustrated, anxious or agitated, or the symptoms can lead to depression. The impact of forgetting what were once familiar words such as family names and everyday objects can have a significant impact on the patient, their confidence and ability to interact socially. They may begin to withdraw, opting to remain isolated by the challenges that their memory and dementia may have on their speech and word recall. This is why supporting patients with speech therapy is so important. The danger with allowing patients to sink and become introverted may actually exacerbate the symptoms associated with dementia. To give up hope; too early; to give up the fight.

By offering the patient the ability to communicate with their family and carers for longer, this can support their mental health and their approach to their illness. Different dementia illnesses can have a varying impact on the dementia patient’s speech and language recall. 

What options are available? 

Not all patients are able to gain access to speech and language therapy for dementia, due to funding constraints. So we detail some of the ways in which therapy is approached which you may be able to undertake as a family member or care provider.

Speech therapies include reminiscent therapies, which encourages dementia patients to talk about their life stories. This type of therapy has been shown to improve engagement and participation and it is something that a family member or carer can support with in their own time. Creating photo books to be able to refer to and start discussions.

Other speech and language therapies for dementia patients can involve asking the patient to practise saying a set of words daily and then learning what their word meanings are. The key to successful therapy with the patient is to remember to remain positive and supportive, throughout their care. If they get a word or meaning wrong, find a way to correct them positively, rather than making a point over the mistake. As the patient will be feeling under pressure, they may become anxious, so keep session relaxed and try tackling communication support a bit earlier in the day, when they are unlikely to be tired and have more energy. 

How can you help?

• Consider creating a series of language cards to help with visual images of words and to support communication when a dementia patient might need something, or to aid with undertaking tasks

• Learn how to communicate with the dementia patient more in our article here. Speaking clearly and not getting annoyed with the patient, as well as avoiding correcting when they may get something wrong. It’s a balance

• Creating a memory book of photos that you can share and talk through together. It will spark some interest and conversation

• Ask questions of the dementia patient, such as “would you like chicken, or fish for dinner?”. It also helps them to feel in control and able to make decisions for themselves, even if you are going to cook the meal. 

• Remain calm and have plenty of patience. Be prepared to repeat the question, or comment clearly, so that they can process what you are asking them and use visual clues if this is still proving difficult.