Hostname: page-component-cb9f654ff-c75p9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-08-26T19:07:34.124Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Memory and communication support in dementia: research-based strategies for caregivers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 September 2010

Erin R. Smith ,
Megan Broughton ,
Rosemary Baker ,
Nancy A. Pachana ,
Anthony J. Angwin ,
Michael S. Humphreys ,
Leander Mitchell ,
Gerard J. Byrne ,
David A. Copland  and
Cindy Gallois
...Show all authors
Erin R. Smith*
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Brisbane, Australia
Megan Broughton
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Brisbane, Australia
Rosemary Baker
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Brisbane, Australia
Nancy A. Pachana
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, School of Psychology, Brisbane, Australia
Anthony J. Angwin
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Brisbane, Australia
Michael S. Humphreys
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, School of Psychology, Brisbane, Australia
Leander Mitchell
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, School of Psychology, Brisbane, Australia
Gerard J. Byrne
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, School of Medicine, Brisbane, Australia
David A. Copland
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Brisbane, Australia The University of Queensland, Centre for Clinical Research, Brisbane, Australia
Cindy Gallois
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, School of Psychology, Brisbane, Australia
Desley Hegney
Affiliation:
Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore The University of Queensland, Faculty of Health Sciences, Brisbane, Australia
Helen J. Chenery
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland, Faculty of Health Sciences, Brisbane, Australia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr Erin Smith, Division of Speech Pathology, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia. Phone: +61 7 3346 7451; Fax: +61 7 3365 1877. Email: e.smith1@uq.edu.au.
Get access

Abstract

Background: Difficulties with memory and communication are prominent and distressing features of dementia which impact on the person with dementia and contribute to caregiver stress and burden. There is a need to provide caregivers with strategies to support and maximize memory and communication abilities in people with dementia. In this project, a team of clinicians, researchers and educators in neuropsychology, psychogeriatrics, nursing and speech pathology translated research-based knowledge from these fields into a program of practical strategies for everyday use by family and professional caregivers.

Methods: From the available research evidence, the project team identified compensatory or facilitative strategies to assist with common areas of difficulty, and structured these under the mnemonics RECAPS (for memory) and MESSAGE (for communication). This information was adapted for presentation in a DVD-based education program in accordance with known characteristics of effective caregiver education.

Results: The resultant DVD comprises (1) information on the nature and importance of memory and communication in everyday life; (2) explanations of common patterns of difficulty and preserved ability in memory and communication across the stages of dementia; (3) acted vignettes demonstrating the strategies, based on authentic samples of speech in dementia; and (4) scenarios to prompt the viewer to consider the benefits of using the strategies.

Conclusion: Using a knowledge-translation framework, information and strategies can be provided to family and professional caregivers to help them optimize residual memory and communication in people with dementia. Future development of the materials, incorporating consumer feedback, will focus on methods for enabling wider dissemination.

Keywords

aged careknowledge translationnursingcommunity carecognitive rehabilitationcommunication skills

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 23 , Issue 2 , March 2011 , pp. 256 - 263
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Albert, M. S. (2008). The neuropsychology of the development of Alzheimer's disease. In Craik, F. I. M. and Salthouse, T. A. (eds.), The Handbook of Aging and Cognition. New York: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Alzheimer's Australia Vic (2006). Effective Communication with People with Dementia, DVD. Hawthorn: Alzheimer's Australia Vic.Google Scholar
Avila, R., Carvalho, I. A. M., Seral, C. and Miotto, E. C. (2004). Neuropsychological rehabilitation of memory deficits and activities of daily living in patients with Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 37, 1721–1729.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bird, M. (2001). Behavioural difficulties and cued recall of adaptive behaviour in dementia: experimental and clinical evidence. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 11, 357–375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bourgeois, M. S. and Hickey, E. M. (2009). Dementia: From Diagnosis to Management. A Functional Approach. New York: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Caramelli, P., Mansur, L. L. and Nitrini, R. (1998). Language and communication disorders in dementia of the Alzheimer type. In Stemmer, B. and Whitaker, H. A. (eds.), Handbook of Neurolinguistics. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Clare, L. and Woods, R. T. (2004). Cognitive training and cognitive rehabilitation for people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease: a review. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 14, 385–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cross, S. M. B., Broomfield, N. M., Davies, R. and Evans, J. J. (2008). Awareness, knowledge and application of memory rehabilitation among community psychiatric nurses working with dementia. Dementia, 7, 383–395.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Vreese, L. P., Neri, M., Fioravanti, M., Belloi, L. and Zanetti, O. (2001). Memory rehabilitation in Alzheimer's disease: a review of progress. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 16, 794–809.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Delazer, M., Semenza, C., Reiner, M., Hofer, R. and Benke, T. (2003). Anomia for people names in DAT – Evidence for semantic and post-semantic impairments. Neuropsychologia, 41, 1593–1598.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doody, R. S. et al. (2001). Practice parameter: management of dementia (an evidence-based review). Neurology, 56, 1154–1166.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Draper, B., Low, L-F., Withall, A., Vickland, V. and Ward, T. (2009). Translating dementia research into practice. International Psychogeriatrics, 21, 572–580.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edberg, A.-K., Nordmark Sandgren, Å. and Hallberg, I. R. (1995). Initiating and terminating verbal interaction between nurses and severely demented patients regarded as vocally disruptive. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 2, 159–167.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Engelman, K. K., Mathews, R. M. and Altus, D. E. (2002). Restoring dressing independence in persons with Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study. American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, 17, 37–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gallo, J. L., Schmidt, K. S. and Libon, D. J. (2008). Behavioral and psychological symptoms, neurocognitive performance, and functional independence in mild dementia. Dementia, 7, 397–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamilton, H. E. (1991). Accommodation and mental disability. In Giles, H., Coupland, J. and Coupland, N. (eds.), Contexts of Accommodation (pp. 157–186). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hendryx-Bedalov, P. M. (1999). Effects of caregiver communication on the outcomes of requests in spouses with dementia of the Alzheimer type. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 49, 127–148.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hubbard, G., Cook, A., Tester, S. and Downs, M. (2002). Beyond words: older people with dementia using and interpreting nonverbal behaviour. Journal of Aging Studies, 16, 155–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Irvine, A. B., Ary, D. V. and Bourgeois, M. S. (2003). An interactive multimedia program to train professional caregivers. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 22, 269–288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Josephsson, S., Bäckman, L., Borell, L., Bernspång, B., Nygård, L. and Rönnberg, L. (1993). Supporting everyday activities in dementia: an intervention study. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 8, 395–400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kemper, S., Anagnopoulos, C., Lyons, K. and Heberlein, W. (1994). Speech accommodations to dementia. Journals of Gerontology, 49, P223–P229.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kemper, S. and Harden, T. (1999). Experimentally disentangling what's beneficial about Elderspeak and what's not. Psychology and Aging, 14, 656–670.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lonie, J. A. et al. (2009). Dual task performance in early Alzheimer's disease, amnestic mild cognitive impairment and depression. Psychological Medicine, 39, 23–31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nelis, S., Quinn, C. and Clare, L. (2007). Information and support interventions for caregivers of people with dementia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Art. no.: CD006440.Google Scholar
Pashek, G. V. and DiVenere, E. (2006). Auditory comprehension in Alzheimer disease: influences of gesture and speech rate. Journal of Medical Speech-Language Pathology, 14, 143–155.Google Scholar
Patterson, K., Nestor, P. J. and Rogers, T. T. (2007). Where do you know what you know? The representation of semantic knowledge in the human brain. Nature Reviews: Neuroscience, 8, 976–988.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pinquart, M. and Sörensen, S. (2006). Helping caregivers of persons with dementia: which interventions work and how large are their effects? International Psychogeriatrics, 18, 577–595.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Purves, B. and Small, J. (2006). Responsiveness to phonemic cueing versus semantically related multiple-choice in Alzheimer's disease. Brain and Language, 99, 45–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ripich, D. N., Wykle, M. and Niles, S. (1995). Alzheimer's disease caregivers: the FOCUSED program. Geriatric Nursing, 16, 15–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ripich, D. N., Ziol, E., Fritsch, T. and Durand, E. J. (1999). Training Alzheimer's disease caregivers for successful communication. Clinical Gerontologist, 21, 37–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rochon, E., Waters, G. and Caplan, D. (1994). Sentence comprehension in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Brain and Language, 46, 329–349.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosa, E. et al. (2010). Needs of caregivers of the patients with dementia. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 51, 54–58. doi:10.1016/j.archger.2009.07.008.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sabat, S. R. (1994). Language function in Alzheimer's disease: a critical review of selected literature. Language and Communication, 14, 331–351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sabat, S. R. (2006). Implicit memory and people with Alzheimer's disease: implications for caregiving. American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, 21, 11–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Small, J. A. and Gutman, G. (2002). Recommended and reported use of communication strategies in Alzheimer caregiving. Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, 16, 270–278.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Small, J. A., Kemper, S. and Lyons, K. (1997). Sentence comprehension in Alzheimer's disease: effects of grammatical complexity, speech rate, and repetition. Psychology and Aging, 12, 3–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sohlberg, M. M., Ehlhardt, L. and Kennedy, M. (2005). Instructional techniques in cognitive rehabilitation: a preliminary report. Seminars in Speech and Language, 26, 268–279.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tappen, R. M., Williams-Burgess, C., Edelstein, J., Touhy, T. and Fishman, S. (1997). Communicating with individuals with Alzheimer's disease: examination of recommended strategies. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 11, 249–256.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tomoeda, C. K., Bayles, K. A., Boone, D. R., Kaszniak, A. W. and Slauson, T. J. (1990). Speech rate and syntactic complexity effects on the auditory comprehension of Alzheimer patients. Journal of Communication Disorders, 23, 151–161.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van Halteren-van Tilborg, I. A. D. A., Scherder, E. J. A. and Hulstijn, W. (2007). Motor-skill learning in Alzheimer's disease: a review with an eye to the clinical practice. Neuropsychology Review, 17, 203–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vasse, E., Vernooij-Dassen, M., Spijker, A., Rikkert, N. O. and Koopmans, R. (2010). A systematic review of communication strategies for people with dementia in residential and nursing homes. International Psychogeriatrics, 22, 189–200.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vitaliano, P. P., Young, H. M., Russo, J., Romano, J. and Magana-Amato, A. (1993). Does expressed emotion in spouses predict subsequent problems among care recipients with Alzheimer's disease? Journal of Gerontology, 48, 202–209.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zanetti, O. et al. (2001). Effectiveness of procedural memory stimulation in mild Alzheimer's disease patients: a controlled study. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 11, 263–272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Smith supplementary material

Appendix

Download Smith supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 676.6 KB