Certain strategies need to be employed to effectively communicate with folks who have Huntington's disease.
People with Huntington's disease often have a hard time communicating with others, especially as they progress through the illness. Both speech and cognitive problems that can occur include:
- articulation
- strained voice
- impaired respiration
- understanding information
- response time
- impaired reading and writing skills
- diminished short-term memory skills
- attention/concentration skills
Strategies to improve communications include:
- speaking slowly
- using yes/no questions
- simplifying your message
- reducing distractions
- employing communication aids (speech therapy)
- having a predictable environment
- allowing sufficient time for the communication
Strategies for more advanced cases include:
- recognizing and using facial expressions and gestures as tools
- using intuition and perception instead of just concrete communication
- getting to know the person's abilities, habits, and idiosyncracies
- relaying information without always expecting a response (the person may well perceive you, but cannot respond.)
For more information on Huntington's disease, please refer to:Huntington's and Home Safety, Huntington's Disease Overview, Huntington's Behavioral Issues, and Huntington's and Safe Bedding.
For related neurological information, check out the Neurological ARTICLE INDEX and Blog.
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The copyright of the article Huntington's and Communicating in Neurological Illness is owned by Jennifer Gerics. Permission to republish Huntington's and Communicating in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
