Language Use in Normal Ageing and Dementia of the Alzheimer Type

Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (DAT) often presents with language decline characterised by initial word‐finding and naming difficulties. Research also indicates that DAT patients display discourse difficulties, which are different from the subtle changes observed in normal ageing. This paper is a brief report on a research project investigating discourse, specifically the use of language, in normal ageing and DAT. Rather than convey detailed research findings, the report presents a brief literature review from which research questions are derived. The paper concludes that the study of discourse is essential to understanding language changes in older adults.