When it comes to loved ones who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or other memory-related illnesses, speech can be one of the problems that impede their capability to get by daily. While most people would associate these memory loss conditions with only cognitive decline, an increasing cognitive impairment can negatively affect your loved ones’ communication skills. It goes without saying that poor communication skills can prevent your loved ones from expressing their thoughts and feelings, as well as sounding out their pain or discomfort. All these can lead to poor mental health issues and a sense of social neglectment over time. As such, in this article, we look into the connection between seniors’ cognitive skills and speech.
Memory Loss
There’s no doubt memory loss is one of the most common effects faced by individuals with dementia. Since an impairment in memory skills can cause loved ones to remember less information, they have lesser topics to talk about and this can impact their social lives. Over time, conversations become more repetitive, limited in discussion, and your loved ones may have a tendency to only focus on details before the onset of the disease. What’s more, Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia can damage brain cells. This symptom is called Aphasia, which affects the individual’s ability to speak and comprehend speech effectively. As the symptom worsens when the disease progresses, this means that loved ones may come to a point where they are unable to process the words other parties are relaying.
Lack of Concentration and Attention
Since attention is the first step to retaining information, lacking the ability to concentrate can lead to ineffective listening. Loved ones with cognitive impairment can either focus on unimportant information or miss out on the crucial details. Poor attention skills can also cause loved ones to lose track of the conversation and say inappropriate things or things that are unrelated to the topic. In general, this is a huge problem in terms of social engagement, especially in a professional setting, as loved ones may get embarrassed.
Mood Swings
Mood swings are another symptom that individuals with dementia tend to suffer from. A sudden change in emotional feelings can hinder individuals from going about their day smoothly, alongside interacting with other parties. Other ways it can contribute to speech and communication difficulties include speech deficits for individuals who are depressed or anxious, less fluency, and long pauses in conversations. Researchers have also found out that people who suffer from mood swings have a tendency to speak slower and take a longer time to come up with words. Just like the above pointers, this can impact your loved ones’ social skills.
Why Choose Discovery Commons Cypress Point?
Here at Discovery Commons Cypress Point, we ensure all our residents live healthily, happily, and safely. This is accomplished through our Dimensions Health and Wellness program that covers all six factors of a holistic lifestyle: physical, emotional, communication, spiritual, intellectual, and medicine. By providing a wide variety of fitness classes and wellness programs, which include speech therapy sessions, your loved ones can work towards achieving a higher quality of life while being surrounded by medical professionals.
