[Language of caregivers to the elderly in a psychogeriatric nursing home]

Speech addressed to children is more redundant and less complex than speech directed to adults. To what extent do such 'baby talk' features occur in speech to demented elderly? This study is conducted to obtain descriptive information on the speech environment of institutionalized elderly people. The results show that caregivers use documented features of the simplified register of baby talk in communication with their psychogeriatric patients.