When Alzheimer's Disease Affects Typing Skills: What to Consider Next

Alzheimer's disease is expected to be one of the fastest rising health complications among the elderly population in years to come. For many Alzheimer's patients, the simple process of writing and spelling can be complicated by poor function of cognition and focus. If you are caring for an aging parent who has shown signs of writing detriment, it is not uncommon for a physician to suggest typing or computer use. But, even for these patients, Alzheimer's disease affect typing skills which, ultimately, may leave a patient unable to communicate without verbal communication.

Occupational therapists will become a vital necessity in the care of your loved one as Alzheimer's disease can set in and begin to impair the ability to manage activities of daily living. Showering, getting dressed, and simply walking are all complications that can be adversely impacted by Alzheimer's disease. Teaching an Alzheimer's patient to use a backpack vacuum cleaner, for example, can help with continued independence in the home. Without occupational therapy, not only is mobility going to be on the decline, but many patients will develop communication complications.

In the early stages of an Alzheimer's diagnosis, your loved one should be encouraged to not only type on a computer or typewriter, but to also engage in regular handwritten notation. In doing so, on a regular basis, they will keep some of the physical ability intact and cognitively may strive to work harder provided they can continue to communicate. By not offering this encouragement, and keeping these simple skills at optimum, many older adults with Alzheimer's begin to lose the skill to write and to also type on the computer.

Once occupational therapy is enlisted, some older adults with Alzheimer's disease begin to regain some forms of their written communication ability. Unfortunately, if the skills are not regularly addressed, the simple communication in writing can be lost forever and this will quickly lead to a decline in your loved one's health.

When caring for a loved one who has Alzheimer's disease, it is important to keep in mind that a process of communication, beyond verbal, may become impossible to perform and this, ultimately, can have a profound impact on the patient. Without written communication and the ability to use a computer or typewriting, the communication model becomes limited to verbal only. It is for this reason that occupational therapy and communication services should be considered as part of the overall treatment of the Alzheimer's patient in the long term.

Source: The Alzheimer's Answer, by Marwan Sabbagh