As a child, I remember smiling at the elderly people who attended mass. I vividly recall walking to the front pews to be able to see the same elderly people who would smile at me and gently touch my hand (and occasionally give me sweets). Unsurprisingly, I chose to make it my life’s mission to be a voice for the elderly, both through my work as a speech-language pathologist and as a committee member for the Malta Dementia Society.

My lovely great-grandmother Mary was a key figure in my life. I remember sitting by her side as a child, watching her knit while listening to her recount stories from her childhood. But then, she spoke less. Perplexed, at the age of nine, I visited her for the first time at St Vincent De Paul. My great-grandmother didn’t know who I was! “Nanna, it’s me, Nicola!” Why couldn’t she remember me, when just a short while ago we sat, spoke and played together? The mind boggles. And this is where my personal journey with dementia started. I remember my family members choosing items from the food menu. I remember us speaking in front of her, as if she wasn’t there. If only we knew how to go about it at that time! But services were minimal, and stigma prevailed.

In 2011 I decided to pursue a career in health care due to a yearning for working with people. During my clinical placements at various hospitals, I met several people with different neurological conditions, including dementia. This sparked my interest in geriatrics and neurology. Once I graduated, I was placed at a hospital with the elderly, working with patients with a multitude of neurological diseases. My interest in this field escalated.

Following my graduation, the University of Malta announced a new course – the first of its kind in Malta – Master’s in Ageing and Dementia Studies. Curious, I decided to apply. This would prove to be the best decision to date because it gave me a deep insight into dementia and other related conditions, as well as more information about services available in Malta.

This year I joined the Malta Dementia Society as a committee member. The only speech language pathologist (SLP) within the team, my role is to educate the general public, create more awareness and show those in the community how to help individuals with dementia. My role is not limited to communication only since I also work on dysphagia (swallowing difficulties).

The literature suggests that being knowledgeable of dementia enables health care professionals to provide services which are in line with the needs of such individuals, their families and caregivers because health care professionals, who are knowledgeable of dementia, are better able to manage the condition. Moreover, good knowledge of dementia has been associated with earlier diagnosis, which then leads to better medical planning, more autonomy for the person with dementia and reduced stigma. Thus, the important role of the Malta Dementia Society.

Dementia has been defined as a clinical syndrome of widespread progressive deterioration of cognitive abilities and normal daily functioning which leads to difficulties with memory, judgement, thinking, behaviour and communication.

Impaired language abilities affect the person’s overall functioning, lead to ineffective communication, cause challenging behaviour, increase risk of depression, lead to impaired social skills including decreased participation in social activities and social withdrawal, and affect the ability to maintain relationships and hinder independence.

Language impairments differ depending on the type of dementia and can include difficulties with receptive and expressive language and poor grammar, among others. As dementia progresses into the later stages, the ability to communicate verbally may become increasingly challenging for people with dementia and their caregivers. Communicative difficulties should be addressed early on so as to help those affected to maintain social relationships and to decrease resultant challenges which can affect one’s quality of life.

It is thus important to help people with dementia communicate. This can be done by using alternative and augmentative means of communication, creating communication passports, encouraging use of signs and using all means of communication possible. Let us give these people a voice. As per the Malta Dementia Society’s motto, “inside every dementia there is a person” and this is our role and mission in life.

Malta Dementia Society are full members of Malta Health Network www.maltahealthnetwork.org

 

Nicola Montesin is a Speech-Language pathologist on behalf of the Malta Dementia Society