In late Alzheimer's, patients lose the power of reason and can no longer speak, walk or swallow.

As a matter of fact, how often do you hear a patient speak ill of his doctor?

"When you don't have any private paying patients to speak of," he said, "there's no place to shift the cost to."

And some patients who have taken the offer speak highly of it.

The main goal is to help the patient speak in a comprehendible manner.

She had learned in medical school that, on average, doctors let patients speak no more than 16 seconds before interrupting them.

It was reported that the patient spoke with an intelligible voice.

The patient paused, but spoke again before the doctor could interrupt.

About a quarter of the time that doctors and patients speak to one another, researchers have found, the conversation takes place by phone.

The next two patients did not speak to him at all, and the last one was loudly articulate but no longer sane.