Communication Impairment in Adults with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Associated with Elevated Caregiver Burden and Sensory Processing Abnormalities

Both receptive (hearing) and expressive (talking) communication is vital to encourage cooperative completion of care tasks. Communication impairment in ADRD is not only linked to increased caregiver burden, but also is associated with cortical-level sensory processing abnormalities beyond standard hearing loss. Combined with hearing loss, communication is made even more difficult. Additional exploration is warranted to determine causal mechanisms between sensory processing abnormalities and communication impairment in ADRD.