Blog Post #1
- Audrey Swanson
- Mar 31
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 9
New to our website! The Caregiver Topics written by Executive Director Audrey Swanson for each of our monthly newsletters will also be featured as blog posts each month on our website.
Caregiver Topic of the Month: Aphasia
What is "Aphasia"?
Aphasia (ah-FAYS-zee-uh) is a common challenge faced by people living with Alzheimer's disease and other kinds of dementia. Generally speaking, aphasia refers to difficulties around using and understanding language. Aphasia causes great distress for people experiencing it as well as those supporting them because of how it impacts connection and communication.
Types of Aphasia
Aphasia can be classified into two main types:
Expressive aphasia - this refers to problems speaking and generating spoken language. Often, this is seen in a person having trouble finding the right word for something, using words that sound like another word, or difficulty speaking in sentences. Great effort is often made by a person to speak. Therefore, it is important to remember that just because someone has not responded to you, does not also mean they did not hear you, or that they did not understand you, or that they do not want to respond to you!
Receptive aphasia - this refers to problems understanding what someone has said. Typically, someone struggling with this kind of aphasia may miss some or all of the meaning of something, and as a result may do or say something different than what you may be expecting.
How can I help someone experiencing aphasia?
The best way to support someone experiencing aphasia is to adapt your communication approach to give you and the person the best chance to connect. Strategies such as using nonverbal cues like gestures, acting out words or phrases, writing words down, and speaking in short and simple language (such as yes/no questions) can facilitate communication. Avoid speaking for the person, using complicated vocabulary or long, double-barreled sentences, and giving too little time for the person to respond to you. It can also be helpful to speak with a speech and language pathologist or an audiologist for guidance.
Looking for more information?
Visit the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association website:
See also the Alzheimer's Association's Helpful Guide about Communication:
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