We all know that the population of elderly people is growing. We also all know that many of the next elder group will be made up of baby-boomers like me. Did you realize that from the year 2000 until the year 2006, there has been a 200 percent increase in population of persons 65 years old or older (U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Interim Projections by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin, Washington, DC).
It is also estimated that the elderly in our country visit their doctors on an average eight times per year. The rest of the population make doctors visits on average five times per year (Alliance for Aging Research, 2002). This means that we should anticipate a greater overall need for care in the elder population. Communication with the elderly is certainly of great importance in the provision of care.
Communicating with our elder population can be challenging. Unlike children, the elderly present us with a very heterogeneous group. They bring with them many years of vastly different types of life experiences, requiring care providers to listen and understand each elder person's view of the care process. You should be aware of cultural differences and influences on the care recipient that affect their perspective of not only aging, but the care process.
The elderly may have had physical changes that have affected their ability to communicate as they once did, such as hearing loss, vision loss, memory loss, and speech projection. Remember that although communicating with an elder person may be more challenging than with others in the population; it is worth the effort to improve their quality of life.
We should also be aware of the elder person's needs, such as the need to reminisce and grieve. As the elder ages they are often forced to give up certain activities that have been instrumental in how they value themselves. For example, many elder people have difficulty adjusting immediately after retirement. Their life and their view of themselves may have been directly linked to what they did for work. That loss can be devastating.
Friends and family members begin to die causing a feeling of sadness and grieving. And, as the elder's own health declines, they may see their independence decline also. All of these factors, and the grieving process, may lead to depression, withdrawal, and a change in personality (i.e., irritability). It is important to understand this aging process, the factors that may affect the person during this time, and ways to help with effective communication.
A few tips for better communication are:
-- Always face the person you are speaking with.
-- Reduce external interference, such as television noise.
-- Let the person see you when you are speaking with her.
-- If necessary, slow your speech down and speak in a normal tone.
-- Don't ask too many questions at one time.
-- Don't hesitate to repeat words if it helps the elder to understand.
-- Use physical responses to comments by the elder. For example, nodding your head when you agree with what has been said.
-- Always try to be friendly and non-argumentative.
Communicating in general takes work. Communicating with our elders may or may not take more work than with the general population, but it should be viewed by our care providers as worth the effort. Patience, understanding, and lots of caring should make for solid and rewarding communication with our elders. Remember: practice makes perfect.
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