Communication - Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing

Communication Challenges

	Causes	Responses
Receiving messages	Not able to see or hear clearly Reduced focus	Give those with dementia appropriate eye glasses and hearing devices Avoid changing the topic suddenly Summarise or repeat the content when necessary Keep the ambience quiet and comfortable
Understanding	Cognitive decline, such as: difficulty to grasp long sentences or abstract content Declining focus	Use simple and direct sentences Allow them ample time to respond
Response	Diminished ability to express oneself, thus giving vague answers like “whatever you say” or “not sure” Difficulty to find the right words, thus using broad terms to identify a person, item or location, such as “that person”, “those things” or “there”	Encourage seniors to express themselves, such as saying how they are feeling about things Be gentle Avoid arguing with them

	Causes	Responses
Receiving messages	Slow to take in, such as taking longer to grasp a message Losing focus further, such as suddenly recalling past events or not paying attention to what others are saying	Face them when talking to them Address them by name and tell them your name before talking to them Maintain the right volume for your voice Note their facial expression, to see if they show unease, and then say it simply, one more time Keep the ambience quiet and comfortable
Understanding	Further decline of cognition, such as ability to grasp only simple commands, what’s right in front, or mother tongue Further decline of focus, such as ability to respond to only one phrase in a sentence, thus not really answering a question	Aid comprehension with real objects, tone, pictures, words, facial expression and hand gestures Allow more time to comprehend and respond Avoid third-person terms such as "he" or "they"
Responses	Further decline of expression skills, such as unable to use a complete sentence Difficulty in finding the right words, such as naming the wrong persons or places Losing the ability to use sound or tone	Be gentle Use more prompts and praise Avoid arguments

	Causes	Responses
Receiving messages	Limited ability to comprehend, such as not noticing people are talking to him/her	Make sure there is eye contact before talking Address him/her by name and say your own name before starting a conversation Keep the right tone More smiles and touches, such as touching the arm or the back of the hands Keep the ambience quiet and comfortable
Understanding	Limited cognition, such as not comprehending speech, but only gestures or touches	Aid comprehension with objects, tone, pictures, words, facial expression and hand gestures Speak slowly and clearly
Responses	Limited expressive skills, such as can only answer yes or no, and difficult to grasp sound Express oneself only by gestures or sound	Always believe he/ she understands what you’re saying and keep talking, even if you are not getting a response Observe non-verbal signs Try to respond to ambiguous gestures, such as touching his/her hand when he/she takes your hand