Rethinking Communication guide to advanced dementia

• Difficulty with taking on new information, such as being able to to remember the name of someone you recently met. This is referred to as ‘working memory’. In the early stages of the illness, it is the person’s memory that is usually affected. This is one of the first symptoms that other people notice. Over time, functioning on a day- to-day basis becomes disrupted. Difficulties with speech, problem solving, perception, making decisions and planning start to become apparent. These symptoms get in the way of a person’s ability to participate in the most ordinary of daily activities, like tidying the house or going out to the shops. Over time this includes having conversations and taking part in the typical social activities that allow us to feel fulfilled, happy and secure. Thus dementia has an impact on emotional states, not just cognition and memory.