Title

Dementia: Effects on the Language Skills of Bilingual Speakers

Authors

Christopher Logan Durr, Fontbonne University

Faculty Advisor

Ethan Kristek

Files

Description

Dementia is a type of condition that is generally characterized by any progressive decline in the brain’s ability to function cognitively and linguistically, brought by either injury or disease. Around the world, roughly 55 million people, live with dementia, with an incidence rate of nearly 10 million per year. Some of the individuals affected by this condition are also bilingual speakers, who comprise about 43% of the global population (World Health Organization: WHO, 2023). Individuals who speak more than one language actively engage in code-switching, where they must alternate between languages. Because of this, speech-language pathologists and other allied health professionals need to know how to properly analyze assessment results for language characteristics seen in bilingual individuals with dementia. The following review will analyze common characteristics of the language in individuals with dementia and how to create an effective treatment from assessment findings.

Keywords

Dementia, Cognitive functioning, Bilingual speakers, Language treatment plan

Disciplines

Communication Sciences and Disorders | Speech and Hearing Science | Speech Pathology and Audiology

References

Bubbico, G., Chiacchiaretta, P., Parenti, M., di Marco, M., Panara, V., Sepede, G., Ferretti, A., & Perrucci, M. G. (2019). Effects of second language learning on the plastic aging brain: Functional connectivity, cognitive decline, and reorganization. Frontiers in Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.00423

Chertkow, H. MD, FRCP (C); Whitehead, V. MA; Phillips, N. PhD; Wolfson, C. PhD; Atherton, J. PhD; Bergman, H. MD. (2010). Multilingualism (but not always bilingualism) delays the onset of Alzheimer disease: Evidence from a bilingual community. Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders, 24(2), 118-125. DOI: 10.1097/WAD.0b013e3181ca1221

Grundy, J. G., & Anderson, J. A. E. (2017). Commentary: The relationship of bilingualism compared to monolingualism to the risk of cognitive decline or dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00344

Grossmann, J. A., Koelsch, V. M., Merve, G. D., Aschenbrenner, S., Teichmann, B., & Meyer, P. (2021). Effects of foreign language learning on executive functions in healthy older adults: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Geriatrics, 21, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02051-x

Van, d. N. M., Vermeire, K., Bosch, P., Staudte, H., Krajenbrink, T., Jaswetz, L., Struys, E., Yeo, S., Barisch, P., Perriard, B., Sook-Hyun, L., & Lim, S. (2019). A systematic review on the possible relationship between bilingualism, cognitive decline, and the onset of dementia. Behavioral Sciences, 9(7), 81.. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs9070081

Van, d. N. M., Struys, E., & Bosch, P. (2019). Individual variation and the bilingual advantage—Factors that modulate the effect of bilingualism on cognitive control and cognitive reserve. Behavioral Sciences, 9(12), 120.https://doi.org/10.3390/bs9120120

World Health Organization: WHO. (2023, March 15). Dementia. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

College

College of Education and Allied Health

Department

Communication Disorders and Deaf Education

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Program

Speech-Language Pathology

Publication Date

Spring 2023

Publisher

Fontbonne University Archives

City

St. Louis, MO

Recommended Citation

Durr, Christopher Logan, "Dementia: Effects on the Language Skills of Bilingual Speakers" (2023). 2023 SLP Posters. 20.
https://griffinshare.fontbonne.edu/slp-posters-2023/20

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.