Expressive and Receptive Dysphasia

[Diannie]

my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 5 years ago. I have just been sent a copy of a letter sent by his Dementia nurse to our GP. In it she says he is suffering from Expressive and Receptive Dysphasia. I have looked this up and it’s something which is usually the result of a stroke. But he has never suffered a stroke. Has anyone here had any experience of this?

 

[canary]

This means a language problem, @Diannie - expressive is the speech and receptive is the comprehension.
Its caused by damage to the language centre in the brain, which could be due to several things - stroke, trauma (accident) or dementia among them. Dysphasia just means what the problem is - it doesnt say anything about the cause.
Obviously if your husband has been diagnosed with Alzheimers this is almost certainly the cause.
Has your husband seen a speech therapist? They can often help with communication problems.

 

[karaokePete]

Dysphasia is problem with swallowing. Aphasia is a difficulty with speech. Both conditions can be caused by dementia and are handled by the same SALT team. Indeed, when my wife was being seen by a speech therapist last year the therapist said that swallowing problems were what she spent most of her time on.

 

[canary]

@karaokePete
Both describe speech problems
https://www.readandspell.com/us/difference-between-aphasia-dysphasia-dysarthria-03

 

[Diannie]

Dysphasia is problem with swallowing. Aphasia is a difficulty with speech. Both conditions can be caused by dementia and are handled by the same SALT team. Indeed, when my wife was being seen by a speech therapist last year the therapist said that swallowing problems were what she spent most of her time on.

Thank you both for your replies. I have asked to see a SALT specialist but have been told he is too far advanced for it to do any good. I just wondered how someone else copes. He doesn’t understand the simplest of conversations or instructions. Nor can he reply.

 

[canary]

Communication is more than just speech. Sometimes gestures and facial expressions can show what you mean. Does he try and communicate?
If he wants to communicate a need, something that I have seen done (but have no experience of) is a board with pictures (a cup for a drink etc) that he, or you, could point to. I dont know if that might help

 

[Diannie]

Communication is more than just speech. Sometimes gestures and facial expressions can show what you mean. Does he try and communicate?
If he wants to communicate a need, something that I have seen done (but have no experience of) is a board with pictures (a cup for a drink etc) that he, or you, could point to. I dont know if that might help

I bring in a cup for example or yogurt etc and show him. He often shakes his head as a no. But if I bring him a drink etc anyway he will drink it. So I tend not to ask and just give him food and drinks. Things like showering, cleaning teeth and dressing etc are particularly difficult as he doesn’t understand what he needs to do. So for the first hour and a half of the day is taken up with me doing these things for him. Then reversing it all again at bedtime

 

[canary]

It sounds like you are coping pretty well with it @Diannie
Everything associated with dementia is difficult, it seems to me
xx

 

[Diannie]

It sounds like you are coping pretty well with it @Diannie
Everything associated with dementia is difficult, it seems to me
xx

Thank you. Although I have to say I am struggling with this part of it. (Have reluctantly given in to a prescription for antidepressants)

 

[karaokePete]

It's a difficult condition. My wife suffers with this and I often have to guess what she is trying to say. It can get even more complicated when other symptoms arise and they can't be communicated such as when my wife started tearing lumps out of herself and both I and the GP asked if she had an itch and she said no. After trying dressings etc it turned out that an itch was the problem! It can be a tough life but hey ho, it could have been us and not them with the dementia so we just treat our loved ones as we assume they would have treated us, eh.

 

[annierich]

Dysphasia is problem with swallowing. Aphasia is a difficulty with speech. Both conditions can be caused by dementia and are handled by the same SALT team. Indeed, when my wife was being seen by a speech therapist last year the therapist said that swallowing problems were what she spent most of her time on.

Dysphagia is a difficulty with swallowing. Dysphasia is a problem with either understanding spoken language or using spoken language. It can also be a combination of both.

 

[karaokePete]

Dysphagia is a difficulty with swallowing. Dysphasia is a problem with either understanding spoken language or using spoken language. It can also be a combination of both.

Thank you, I do indeed seem to have muddled my terms.

 

[karaokePete]

@karaokePete
Both describe speech problems
https://www.readandspell.com/us/difference-between-aphasia-dysphasia-dysarthria-03

Thank you, I have muddled my terms.

 

[annierich]

Thank you, I do indeed seem to have muddled my terms.

That’s ok. A lifetime spent as a Speech and Language Therapist!!

 

[teetoe]

I've been told my OH has expressive and receptive dysphasia. He can respond without thinking with words which just pop out of his head, like a retort, but can't express anything and often I haven't a clue what he is trying to say. He waves his hand vaguely, talks about "those things" and I try to guess, ask questions, and frequently fail. If I ask him something I get a reply which is unrelated to the question so he hasn't understood at all.
He is not washing at all, changing clothes, cleaning teeth - I try to help him with that but he refuses. A month ago I could still get him into a shower with me and give him a quick wash but I seem to have lost my charms and he refuses now! Three weeks since the last one and he wears the same clothes day and night!

 

[Diannie]

I've been told my OH has expressive and receptive dysphasia. He can respond without thinking with words which just pop out of his head, like a retort, but can't express anything and often I haven't a clue what he is trying to say. He waves his hand vaguely, talks about "those things" and I try to guess, ask questions, and frequently fail. If I ask him something I get a reply which is unrelated to the question so he hasn't understood at all.
He is not washing at all, changing clothes, cleaning teeth - I try to help him with that but he refuses. A month ago I could still get him into a shower with me and give him a quick wash but I seem to have lost my charms and he refuses now! Three weeks since the last one and he wears the same clothes day and night!

Oh teetoe. I am sorry to hear that. My OH will shower each day. But I have to hand him the shower gel and show him the actions of washing then he carries on. Teeth cleaning is a challenge as he has a partial denture. Sometimes he can take it out. Other times can’t do it and wont let me try. Then I have to shave him

 

[Rosie4u]

Oh teetoe. I am sorry to hear that. My OH will shower each day. But I have to hand him the shower gel and show him the actions of washing then he carries on. Teeth cleaning is a challenge as he has a partial denture. Sometimes he can take it out. Other times can’t do it and wont let me try. Then I have to shave him

Oh this sounds like my morning.We have moved to an electric razor and I mime the actions for shaving, teeth cleaning removing patrial denture washing etc. He gets so excited sometimes trying to tell me things but it’s so frustrating when I can’t get it. He tries to ask for particular things for example last night he wanted those things in 3s - snack cream crackers which come in 3 packs. Oh the joy !!! They must think we are bonkers

 

[vmmh]

Oh this sounds like my morning.We have moved to an electric razor and I mime the actions for shaving, teeth cleaning removing patrial denture washing etc. He gets so excited sometimes trying to tell me things but it’s so frustrating when I can’t get it. He tries to ask for particular things for example last night he wanted those things in 3s - snack cream crackers which come in 3 packs. Oh the joy !!! They must think we are bonkers

Teetoe and others - my OH also has problems with speech and "activities of daily living" like showering and bathing and brushing teeth. It is a daily struggle to manage these. I have learned to shave him with an electric razor and did pretty well at the beginning. But, now he won't sit still while I shave him. He has become a moving target and then when he feels he has sat still long enough, he just gets up and walks off - even if I have only gotten half of his face done. Trimming his mustache is the hardest part. He has also recently began having trouble sitting on the commode. Its not arthritis or pain or unwillingness. It's just that he can't remember how to sit or something tangles up in his brain and won't let him sit. It's become a big issue to get him changed and pottied. And I hate to think of what comes next. We just take it as it comes and hopefully do ok with adjustments. As for speech, I rarely am able to figure out what he is saying or what he wants. And he frequently says yes no matter what you have asked. I gave him a cookie the other day. When I handed it to him he said "I don't want that sh**", then took it and ate it. Go figure. So don't worry too much about what he actually says. Otherwise, I find that if I just agree with whatever he said or say I don't know the answer, it diffuses the issue.