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She has some cognitive deficiencies but does still talk usually just answering questions she is asked.

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In your other post you ask what games you can play with an elder whose eyesight is very very poor? Assuming this elder is your mother also, has she had her eyes and her hearing checked recently?? With dementia at play and the loss of senses, why do you think she wants to play games or should be talking more? Assuming her eyesight is as corrected as it can be with glasses, and her hearing is ok, maybe just ask mom what she would like to do? With very very poor eyesight and dementia, there's very little she CAN do, realistically, besides listen to music. You can throw a large colorful beach ball back and forth I suppose, and ask her about her teen years to get her to talk, but she may prefer to be left alone.

Best of luck to you.
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Reply to lealonnie1
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You can't and you shouldn't. If she wants to talk she will.
I can only guess that perhaps with her dementia she is now having trouble understanding the spoken word and may even be having trouble finding the right words to speak. And she may not be hearing well too, so I would have that checked.
Dementia sucks and the best thing you can do is educate yourself about this horrific disease so you're better prepared for what is to come as you already know things will only get worse.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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It may help to go through some old pictures, asking her things? Do you remember this house? Did you care for this garden? Was this your dog? It may trigger memories.

There is some slight chance this will help. The truth is that some elders do go non-verbal. Oliver Sacks would say "They have a whole entire world in their head; it just isn't YOUR world." I suspect he was right. Just be at peace that she is likely much more comfortable in this non-verbal place than you imagine.

I often repeat here that my Aunt, to whom I was very close, did become so quiet in the wonderful Nursing Home she was in. She would sit and look quietly out the window. I once asked her "What do you think about when you look out" and she said she was remembering her whole life, her old job her husband and their home. I believe she was content in this.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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Enjoy the silence! Also make sure that she hears well. And it's not only the ear function that has to be good, it's also that she needs to be able to decode the words she's hearing. Her brain may not be able to do that anymore.
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Reply to Fawnby
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Why does she need to talk more?

My stepmother had FTD, as time went by she conversed less and less, we continued our conversations around her and if asked a question she would respond in one or two words, it was just what it was, part of her decline due to her dementia.

We did not poke her to be more involved in conversations, we let her be as she was living in a world all of her own.
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Reply to MeDolly
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there could be different things going on.
First was mom always a talker? If not do not expect her to change.
Dementia and there are different types can effect the brain in different areas. So her speech center may be effected by the dementia.
Second...Many people with dementia are somewhat aware that they have a problem and are afraid of making a "mistake" or afraid that others will know or think that there is "something wrong" and she may be afraid of embarrassing herself.
"Chatting" with someone, making conversation takes a lot of thought and energy. Keeping ideas straight and organized can be exhausting.
And if you pressure her it may be even more exhausting.

You can try asking open ended questions.
"Mom, can you tell me about your ( first job, your honeymoon, your first car)" and see what she says.
Get out some photos and talk to her about them.
If you do get her talking if you recall things differently do not try to correct her. Her memories are hers, yours are yours. And you will never convince a person with dementia that they are recalling something incorrectly. It will only upset both of you to try to get her to change her mind.
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Reply to Grandma1954
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