Speech Deterioration

Misty

Registered User
Mar 29, 2005
6
0
Kent, England
Hi all

Although I have not posted for a while, I log on several times a week as more often than not, other people are seeking advice on issues that are so similar to your own. This forum is a great comfort!!

My Grandma has been in a care home for nearly 2 years now with her dememtia, where her condition has very gradually deteriorated. Although these changes have been extremely distressing, (as you all know too well), most of which I have expected and accepted. However her condition over the last couple of weeks has been something of which I have not been prepared for.

Grandma has always spoken to herself, none of which obviously makes any sense. She'll talk about the Queen coming for dinner, or going to stay at Balmoral. However recently her talking has been less and less. Instead she will talk, but will then mumble or groan in the middle of the conversation to herself. And I would say now that the majority of her speaking is now incoherent mumbling and groaning, with a few coherent words thrown in. I assume that eventually that this will be permanant, but I have no idea.

It's bad enough that this disease robs you of the person, but to think that I may not even hear my Grandma's voice again whilst she sits there as an empty shell is just too much to think about. I have tried to remain positive throughout Grandma's illness - making negatives into positives. I consider my relationship with my Grandma now to be different to the one prior to the onset of dementia, and that has helped me accept her condition - in fact we have had some fun!!!

Ironically, I am finding her speech deterioration harder to deal with, than when I had to accept that she no longer recognised me. Perhaps it's because it's just the last recognisabe part of my Grandma left.

Thanks for listening
 

dmc

Registered User
Mar 13, 2006
1,157
0
hi misty,

my mum had tea with the queen quite a few times while in hospital recently, and she met andrew and fergie, :confused: i wonder what it is about the royals, mum said the queen is nothing like she is on tv!!

my mum went through a stage of mumbling and not being very coherent, but with her it was the medication she was given, could that be the case with your nan?
it is so awfull to watch someone you love slowly disappear before your eyes and not be able to help,
i also had a lovely relationship with two of my nans, but they both died 3years ago, within 24 hours of each other although they lived 200 miles apart, i think i got on better with my nans than i did with my mum then,
im so sorry for what your going through, and i do hope her speech improves!

best wishes xx
 

Lynne

Registered User
Jun 3, 2005
3,433
0
Suffolk,England
Hob-nobbing with Royalty

Perhaps these ladies have 'the Royals' on their minds because there has been so much about them on TV over the past couple of years. There was the wedding of Charles & Camilla (the news coverage & gossip went on for months, before & after!), then the Golden Jubilee celebrations, and more recently The Queen's 80th birthday, with lots of 'retrospective' old news footage which probably revived old memories.
Lots of Care Homes & Nursing Homes give their residents unlimited access to watch TV, so they would have seen more of it than you & I perhaps.
 

noelphobic

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
3,452
0
Liverpool
My mum's speech has been difficult to understand for some time now and it is extremely frustrating. A lot of the time I find that even when I can decipher the words they don't actually make much sense! When I can't even decipher the words then it is extremely frustrating for both of us! Strangely, when she is angry and shouts then the words come out crystal clear! :confused:

She did say extremely clearly on Sunday 'I've clicked, I've got a fella' :D
 

pammy14

Registered User
Dec 5, 2005
103
0
leicestershire
I find the same with my sister, normally we cant understand much at all and she gets really upset, but if she is really cross she will come out with a whole sentance such asI AM NOT GOING.
 

Brucie

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
12,413
0
near London
Jan's speech has been gone for ages now, but every now and then she does come out with a word, and it is such a pleasant surprise.

I reckon that the words come out when the brain is caught napping - that is, she can't normally make words because she tries to think what to say and goodness knows where her brain takes her - it can't find the word, or make her mouth work, and both together are pretty devastating to speech.

But catch her unawares and out will come a word, even a few words, automatically in response, or so it seems, because they are both in context and often quite amusing [intentionally, because there is a simultaneous smile].

It happened today.:)
 

Nutty Nan

Registered User
Nov 2, 2003
801
0
Buckinghamshire
Brucie said:
It happened today.:)

Brucie, this is why we must never give up on our loved ones: these precious moments WE can link up with may only happen once in a while, but for all we know, THEY may actually be trying to communicate much more often with more purpose than we realise ..... these special moments are wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time!
 

Kriss

Registered User
May 20, 2004
513
0
Shropshire
I was never much good at French or German at school but these days I feel like I am learning a whole new language! Very few words involved but lots of tone and expression.

I came away from a visit to Aunt a couple of weeks ago having clearly understood her telling me "thanks for coming but remember to phone next time". I tried to recall the words she had used afterwards but couldn't however I know I didn't imagine it.

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry
 

bel

Registered User
Apr 26, 2006
757
0
coventry
Hi Misty

Re speech deterioation
my hubby is 59 and one of the things that i find hard at the moment is his speach i call it gobbldy goof in one way i am lucky he has always been as daft as a brush -good sence of humor so i am able to go along with it and we laught but inside i am not laughing
i am sure Granma is still there if only at times my hubby says things at times i find amazing so do not give up like Brucie said its as if there brain is having a nap

love BEL X