Conditions we support
Primary progressive aphasia support in Queensland
Words may fade. Connection doesn't.
About the condition
Understanding primary progressive aphasia
Aphasia means difficulty with language. In PPA, the parts of the brain that handle language slowly stop working. Speaking, finding words, understanding, reading and writing get harder over time.
In the early stages, language is the main problem. Memory and everyday skills are often fine at first. PPA is not a problem with hearing or intelligence.
There are three main types:
- Non fluent or agrammatic PPA. Speech becomes slow, effortful and halting, and grammar slips. Some people later develop movement problems like those in PSP and corticobasal degeneration.
- Semantic PPA. Speech still flows, but the person slowly loses the meaning of words and struggles to name everyday things.
- Logopenic PPA. The person often pauses to search for words and finds it hard to repeat sentences.
Non fluent and semantic PPA are usually forms of frontotemporal dementia. Logopenic PPA is most often caused by Alzheimer's disease. PPA often starts in a person's 50s or early 60s, so it is often young onset dementia. There is no cure, but speech pathology can help the person keep communicating for longer.
Simple things help. Face the person, use short sentences and give them time to answer. Ask yes or no questions, point to pictures or write key words down. Don't finish their sentences unless they ask.
Daily life
How it can affect daily life
PPA often shows up first in conversations and at work.
Conversations.
Group chats, noisy rooms and fast talkers get hard to follow. Many people start to avoid them.
Work.
Meetings, phone calls and emails are often where changes show first.
Reading and writing.
Spelling, writing messages and reading longer text get harder.
Being understood.
Others may talk over the person or assume they don't understand. This is frustrating and lonely.
Everyday tasks.
Phone calls, appointments and banking get harder to manage alone.
Mood and behaviour.
Frustration and low mood are common. Some people develop changes in behaviour over time.
Our support
How we support people living with primary progressive aphasia
We put the speech pathologist's recommendations into practice every day, not just at appointments. Workers learn the person's communication plan before they support them: how to ask questions, how long to wait, and which pictures, gestures or apps help.
Specialist Support Coordination
A coordinator who understands PPA, links in speech pathology and communication aids, and plans ahead.
Community Participation
Keep up work, hobbies and friendships, with a worker who knows how the person communicates.
Dementia Home Care
Help with phone calls, appointments, shopping and everyday tasks, from a small team who knows the person.
Short Term Accommodation and Respite
Breaks for family, at home or in one of our respite homes.
Supported Independent Living
Homes purpose built for dementia, with 1:1 or 2:1 support, when living at home no longer works.
Our team
Our team is trained for this.
PPA needs patience and good listening. Our team learns how the person communicates before the first shift.
- Every person on our team is dementia trained, in every role.
- Every support worker completes a one week intensive induction before their first shift.
- Every worker is trained on the person's own functional capacity assessment and behaviour support plan before their first shift with them.
Funding
Primary progressive aphasia and the NDIS
Because PPA often starts before 65, many people living with PPA can apply to the NDIS. Evidence about communication matters as much as evidence about memory.
Who can apply to the NDIS
To become an NDIS participant, a person generally needs to:
- be under 65 when they apply
- live in Australia
- be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or a Protected Special Category Visa holder
- have a permanent impairment that substantially reduces their ability to manage everyday activities.
People who join the NDIS before they turn 65 can stay in the NDIS after 65. We can help gather evidence and guide you through the access process.
A speech pathologist's report on how PPA affects talking, understanding, reading and writing is very helpful. We can help you work out what's needed.
In their words.
“We'd been through three support coordinators before we found Dementia Care Queensland. None of them really understood Dad's condition, they were juggling too many clients, too many diagnoses. Our coordinator here is different. She calls before we even know we need her. She's already thought about what Dad's going to need in six months. That kind of proactive care, we'd never experienced it before.”
“When Mum was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's at 58, we were completely lost. Every provider we called said they 'do dementia too' but it was always an afterthought. Dementia Care Queensland was the first place where the person on the other end of the phone actually understood what we were going through.”
“As a referring clinician, I need to trust that the providers I recommend can match the complexity of my patients' conditions. Dementia Care Queensland is the only NDIS provider I refer dementia patients to without hesitation. Their coordinators ask the right questions, understand disease progression, and plan ahead.”
Questions about primary progressive aphasia
Related conditions
This page is general information, not medical advice. For advice about your own health or care, talk to your GP or specialist. Last reviewed: October 2026.
Every voice deserves to be heard.
Call any time, day or night. Referrals answered the same business day, always within 24 hours.