Guest guest Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 Learning to speak after Alzheimer's Jane Elliott BBC News Health Reporter Two years ago Anastasia Renicks found it difficult to speak. Holding a telephone conversation was impossible and even communicating with her husband and close friends an excruciating process. Anastasia, 57, from Haworth, north Nottinghamshire, has early stages Alzheimer's Disease. She found it badly affected her memory causing her to forget words and making her unable to speak, read or write. Now her speech is fluent again and she has re-learnt her reading and writing skills. Course She credits a basic English course and lot of hard work for the amazing transformation. " I could not hold a conversation and I was getting worse and worse. " People had to finish my sentences for me and I could not answer the telephone because I could not remember what to say and it took me so long to speak. I have my quality of life Anastasia Renicks " I tried doing the readings in church, but my brain could not get the words out. My stuttering and stammering got worse. " My husband John, is a great support, but I do not want my husband to speak for me. I wanted to speak for myself. " Anastasia contacted her local branch of the Alzheimer's Society and they helped her find out about the English classes so she could start relearning her old skills. " I was learning the alphabet again. I then went on to learn my nouns and the teacher told me to break my words up into syllables. Eventually I got my speech back up. " I have my quality of life I did not want to sit and vegetate in a corner and thought I should be able to speak and write better. I don't worry about anything like I used to. " Three times a week Anastasia goes to her local branch's Memories Group - a social and activities club for people with dementia - where they have quizzes and activities. It has given her the confidence to interact more. " My husband is pleased with my improvement; he is amazed by how I am always wanting to better my English. " People say 'what an improvement', but I have to work on it all the time because if I don't I will forget it again. " I want people to see that Alzheimer's is not the end of the world. You have a quality of life after Alzheimer's but you have got to have to want it. " Improvement Susan Brewin, development worker for the Bassetlaw branch of the Alzheimer's Disease Society, which Anastasia attends, said she had noticed a big improvement. " She is different to 18 months ago when I first met her. She had very poor communication skills and a lack of confidence due to the depression she had. She stammered and there were long pauses and then she would stutter. " Talking to her it was clear that she was worried about her inability to write and speak. " She has gone from strength to strength. In about six weeks her conversation and her ability to write were changing on a weekly basis. " She now comes out with me because I train in dementia and she talks about what it is like to have dementia and uses the communication skills she has learned. " Skills Linda Clare, senior lecturer in the school of psychology at the University of Wales, Bangor, who has carried out research with Alzheimer's patients, said she had noticed that it was possible for some patients to relearn certain skills. " It is about helping them to make the most of their abilities. " We tend to focus on individual things that are troubling people such as remembering where they have put their glasses or finding out what day it is on the calendar without having to ask their partner or taking up an activity that they had given up. " What we have done is to set goals with people and then try to develop a psychological technique. " One of the techniques is called spaced retrieval where the person will learn something and then be asked about it at varying intervals. " She said it was possible to get a level of memory back. " If somebody wants to put work and effort in then they can improve things because there is some evidence of this. " Clive Evers, director of information and education for the Alzheimer's Society, said that although Anastasia's story was inspiring that it was important to note that her success could not be replicated by every Alzheimer's patient. " It is a very interesting case and is quite an unusual one. " And he said others may benefit from some of these techniques. " We are beginning to learn more about some techniques that can help people in the early stages, but they will not necessarily help everybody. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 this is good news, but won't they forget what they've learned a year later? My great aunt has this disease and it wasn't too long ago, she still had her same good ol heart, she bought me a pair of sandals, she said she thought of me. then she bought them for me again with the same enthusiasm as the first time. I thanked her just the same, both times and said nothing. that was at the beginning stage. the very first indication that my family had, that there my be something wrong was when we would go shopping with my little cousins and she would leave the store and forget all about us!! Then later, on the street, she would walk right past me as though I was a stranger (she lost my face, recognition) I would then tell her " hey it's me and she would instantly hug and kiss me as though she hadn't seen me in ages. later on as the disease progressed she would ask me who I was. She would then tell me about her secretarial career in the 1950's with great accuracy, but would talk to me as if she just met me for the first time. (that hurt) This scenario happened again and again. she is still alive, but far away from me (mentally and physically). It feels like she died a while ago. , " Jo Cwazy " <heartwork@c...> wrote: > > Learning to speak after Alzheimer's > Jane Elliott > BBC News Health Reporter > > > > > Two years ago Anastasia Renicks found it difficult to speak. > Holding a telephone conversation was impossible and even communicating with > her husband and close friends an excruciating process. > > Anastasia, 57, from Haworth, north Nottinghamshire, has early stages > Alzheimer's Disease. She found it badly affected her memory causing her to > forget words and making her unable to speak, read or write. > > Now her speech is fluent again and she has re-learnt her reading and writing > skills. > > Course > > She credits a basic English course and lot of hard work for the amazing > transformation. > > " I could not hold a conversation and I was getting worse and worse. > > " People had to finish my sentences for me and I could not answer the > telephone because I could not remember what to say and it took me so long to > speak. > > I have my quality of life > > Anastasia Renicks > > " I tried doing the readings in church, but my brain could not get the words > out. My stuttering and stammering got worse. > > " My husband John, is a great support, but I do not want my husband to speak > for me. I wanted to speak for myself. " > > Anastasia contacted her local branch of the Alzheimer's Society and they > helped her find out about the English classes so she could start relearning > her old skills. > > " I was learning the alphabet again. I then went on to learn my nouns and the > teacher told me to break my words up into syllables. Eventually I got my > speech back up. > > " I have my quality of life I did not want to sit and vegetate in a corner > and thought I should be able to speak and write better. I don't worry about > anything like I used to. " > > Three times a week Anastasia goes to her local branch's Memories Group - a > social and activities club for people with dementia - where they have > quizzes and activities. It has given her the confidence to interact more. > > " My husband is pleased with my improvement; he is amazed by how I am always > wanting to better my English. > > " People say 'what an improvement', but I have to work on it all the time > because if I don't I will forget it again. > > " I want people to see that Alzheimer's is not the end of the world. You have > a quality of life after Alzheimer's but you have got to have to want it. " > > Improvement > > Susan Brewin, development worker for the Bassetlaw branch of the Alzheimer's > Disease Society, which Anastasia attends, said she had noticed a big > improvement. > > " She is different to 18 months ago when I first met her. She had very poor > communication skills and a lack of confidence due to the depression she had. > She stammered and there were long pauses and then she would stutter. > > " Talking to her it was clear that she was worried about her inability to > write and speak. > > " She has gone from strength to strength. In about six weeks her conversation > and her ability to write were changing on a weekly basis. > > " She now comes out with me because I train in dementia and she talks about > what it is like to have dementia and uses the communication skills she has > learned. " > > Skills > > Linda Clare, senior lecturer in the school of psychology at the University > of Wales, Bangor, who has carried out research with Alzheimer's patients, > said she had noticed that it was possible for some patients to relearn > certain skills. > > " It is about helping them to make the most of their abilities. > > " We tend to focus on individual things that are troubling people such as > remembering where they have put their glasses or finding out what day it is > on the calendar without having to ask their partner or taking up an activity > that they had given up. > > " What we have done is to set goals with people and then try to develop a > psychological technique. > > " One of the techniques is called spaced retrieval where the person will > learn something and then be asked about it at varying intervals. " > > She said it was possible to get a level of memory back. > > " If somebody wants to put work and effort in then they can improve things > because there is some evidence of this. " > > Clive Evers, director of information and education for the Alzheimer's > Society, said that although Anastasia's story was inspiring that it was > important to note that her success could not be replicated by every > Alzheimer's patient. > > " It is a very interesting case and is quite an unusual one. " > > And he said others may benefit from some of these techniques. > > " We are beginning to learn more about some techniques that can help people > in the early stages, but they will not necessarily help everybody. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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