Listen to Your Parent’s Speech to Help Detect Alzheimer’s Disease

By Shanele Healy | September 5, 2018 |

As a family caregiver, you know how important it is to stay connected to your senior. Having regular conversations with them, and spending quality time with them are important to boosting your mental and emotional health, and keeping your relationship bonded.

Homecare Waxhaw NC – Listen to Your Parent’s Speech to Help Detect Alzheimer’s Disease

Having conversations with your aging parent on a regular basis, however, can also have other benefits. One you may not immediately think of is how changes in their speech can be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease. It is completely normal to occasionally have difficulties with speech, such as not being able to find the right word, or saying something you didn’t really mean because you were distracted. Changes that impact functioning and quality of life, however, could indicate something more serious.

Some ways your senior’s speech might be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease include:

Difficulty following a conversation, and being a part of it appropriately
Inability to pick up in the middle of a conversation if they had to stop for some reason
Repeating themselves frequently during a conversation, or even saying the same sentences several times
Not being able to find the right word frequently, and to the detriment of interacting with others
Using the wrong name, or even a description of an item, rather than what it is actually called

If you noticed changes in the way your senior speaks, or how they are interacting with others, it is important to discuss the possibility of Alzheimer’s disease with them, and together go to talk to their doctor. Early detection means early intervention, and this helps your parent to start a course of treatment and management that is right for them and their needs now, and into the future as they progress with their disease.

Being a family caregiver for an aging adult living with a progressive disease poses challenges and difficulties beyond those of a senior who is not experiencing such a disease. It is normal for you to feel overwhelmed, or as though you are not able to fulfill your senior’s needs effectively, and in the ways that are right for them.

Fortunately, you are not alone. Homecare is available to help you meet your senior’s needs, give them a higher quality of life, and ensure they will have the support and assistance they need as they progress through their disease. Not only does homecare help your parent stay safer and healthier, and maintain better mental and emotional health and well-being, it also preserves your mental emotional health, reduces your stress, and helps you to focus on your relationship with your parent beyond just being their caregiver.

Source: https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/10_signs

https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures

If you or an aging loved one are considering Homecare Services in Waxhaw NC, please call the professional staff at Caring at Heart today at (704) 379-7510. Serving Charlotte, Statesville, Ballantyne, Mooresville, Huntersville, Matthews, Concord, Gastonia, Pineville and Indian Trail.

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Shanele Healy

Owner at Caring at Heart

Caring for others has always been a passion for the owner. She joined the healthcare field while still in high school believing that every health provider had the same intentions at heart. While working as a nurse assistant,Gloria quickly realized that those whom needed us most were being neglected and not receiving the best quality of care they deserved.
Knowing in her heart that families deserved better, she started Caring At Heart in 2008 with two key goals in mind: To provide clients and their families with an experience that was personable, easy, and reassuring and to create a working environment that employees were excited and proud to be a part of.