Health Tip: Talking to a Person With Alzheimer's Disease

Suggestions to help improve communication

Posted 4/18/08

(HealthDay News) -- As Alzheimer's disease progresses, communicating becomes more of a challenge.

The U.S. National Institute on Aging offers these suggestions for talking to someone with Alzheimer's:

Speak in a calm, soothing tone of voice.
Use simple, short words and sentences -- but avoid baby talk, or speaking like you would to a child.
Avoid talking about the person in front of him or her.
Turn off the TV, radio or any other possible distractions when trying to communicate.
Get the person's full attention before speaking, and refer to the person by name.
If the person is trying to communicate but is having trouble finding words, gently try to suggest words the person may be looking for.
Be patient and give the person plenty of time to think and respond.