JSLHR
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research Vol.46 353-367 April 2003. doi:10.1044/1092-4388(2003/028)
© American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow My Folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Small, J. A.
Right arrow Articles by Hillhouse, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Small, J. A.
Right arrow Articles by Hillhouse, B.

Effectiveness of Communication Strategies Used by Caregivers of Persons With Alzheimer's Disease During Activities of Daily Living

Jeff A. Small 1
Gloria Gutman 2
Saskia Makela 1

Beth Hillhouse 1
1 University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC, Canada
2 Simon Fraser University Vancouver, BC, Canada

jeffs{at}audiospeech.ubc.ca

Communication difficulties between individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their caregivers are commonly reported. Caregivers carry the burden of managing breakdowns in communication because people with AD are often unable to modify their communicative behavior. To assist caregivers in this endeavor, clinicians and caregiving professionals have offered a variety of strategies aimed at accommodating the individual's declining abilities. Many of these strategies are intuitively appealing, but they lack empirical support. This study investigated the effectiveness of 10 frequently recommended communication strategies when employed by family caregivers of persons with AD. In particular, we assessed (a) which strategies family caregivers report using and with what degree of success, (b) which of these strategies are used by caregivers in actual interactions with their spouses, and (c) which strategies contribute to improved communication. The study included a self-report questionnaire and wireless audio-recorded interactions between 18 persons with AD and their spousal caregivers during activities of daily living. The findings validate the effectiveness of certain communication strategies (e.g., simple sentences) but not others (e.g., slow speech). The results should be of interest to both family members and professionals who want to enhance communication and the quality of their interactions with persons with Alzheimer's disease.

KEY WORDS: Alzheimer's disease, communication, strategies, activities of daily living, caregiving

Submitted on May 2, 2002
Accepted on November 26, 2002




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 AM J ALZHEIMERS DIS OTHER DEMENHome page
J. A. Small, J. Perry, and J. Lewis
Perceptions of family caregivers' psychosocial behavior when communicating with spouses who have Alzheimer's disease
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, September 1, 2005; 20(5): 281 - 289.
[Abstract] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
All ASHA Journals AJA AJSLP JSLHR LSHSS
Copyright © 2003 by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.