This article addresses the challenge to identify and document effective nonmedical communication interventions that will assist persons with Alzheimer's disease to function at their most optimal levels. Both direct (client-centered) and indirect (caregiver-oriented) interventions are described, and the intervention literature from disciplines other than speech-language pathology is reviewed. Emphasis is placed on functional maintenance and prevention of excessive response to disability and teamed helplessness. The article concludes with a statement of the strong need for a paradigm shift, from a focus on skills improvement to a broader quality-of-life orientation.