Everyday Language Difficulties in Parkinson's Disease: Caregiver Description and Relationship With Cognition, Activities of Daily Living, and Motor Disability

Abstract

Purpose Parkinson's disease (PD) impacts language in multiple ways, though important questions remain. The current article explores 2 main issues: what type of everyday language difficulties (ELDs) are noted by care partners and how do ELDs relate to cognition, daily activities, and motor disability in PD. Method Care partner reports of ELD were collected in 42 community-dwelling individuals with PD. Descriptive information of ELD was tallied, and the relationship of cognitive decline, activities of daily living (ADLs), and motor disability with ELD was evaluated. Results Forty-two percent of patients were described by care partners as having at least 1 consistent ELD, and the frequency of ELD increased in the presence of dementia, χ 2 (2) = 14.37, p = .0008. The most commonly described ELDs by caregivers were related to comprehension of instructions and deriving the point of conversations. ELD was correlated with worse cognition ( r s = −.524, p < .001), increased difficulty with daily activities ( r s = .634, p < .001), and increased motor dysfunction ( r s = .554, p < .001). Mild ADL decline (Functional Assessment Questionnaire score of 4); an area under the curve of .81 ( SE = .07) was highly specific to the presence of ELD (95.4%). Conclusions Care partners note a variety of ELDs in patients with PD, most commonly comprehension difficulties. These difficulties increase with overall cognitive decline but are described in 30%–40% of those without significant cognitive deficits. ADL difficulties correlate with functional, motoric, and cognitive status, with even mild functional declines predictive of the presence of ELD. Implications for research and practice in this population are discussed.

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