Native Language Impacts Communications Issues in Dementia Patients

 

 

Scientists at UC San Francisco Memory and Aging Center and at the Neuroimaging Research Unit and Neurology Unit at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan have discovered that speaking and reading problems in dementia patients vary based on their native languages.

Most dementia research is based on native English speakers. Health care providers need to be aware of this factor when treating patients who do not speak English or have English as a second language.

More information here:

https://blog.thealzheimerssite.greatergood.com/native-tongue/?utm_source=ALZ&utm_medium=social-twt&utm_campaign=social-bubbles&utm_content=blog-share

A SECOND LANGUAGE DELAYS DEMENTIA

A recent study shows that persons who know a second language have significantly later onset of dementia than those who speak only one language.

Previous research had suggested that a person's level of education directly correlated with the age that dementia began, with the most highly educated individuals having later onset dementia. However, this study included geriatric patients who were illiterate, eliminating formal education as a factor, and putting the focus on second language skills.

In the test group of approximately 650 patients, knowing a second language delayed the start of dementia by an average of 6 years.

The patients studied suffered from various forms of dementia including Alzheimer's disease.

The study, reported in Neurology, can be accessed here:

http://bit.ly/1lXqvDU