Alzheimer's Patients React Poorly to 'Elderspeak'

"People are always saying, 'Oh, I can't do that because it's going to take more time and I have too many people to take care of,'" Fazio said. "But this showed us that the other way of doing things was causing even more time and care."

With the number of people with Alzheimer's expected to rise to more than 106 million worldwide by 2050, maximizing communication between staff and patients will be increasingly important for nursing staff everywhere, Williams said.

More information

There's much more on Alzheimer's disease at the Alzheimer's Association.