Communicating Better With Older People
[
en Español]
Communicating with older people often requires extra time and
patience because of physical, psychological, and social changes
of normal aging.
Even more effort is needed in nursing homes where 60% to 90%
of residents may actually have communication disabilities.
Speech-language pathologists Martin Shulman and Ellen Mandel
offer these tips for family members and caregivers to make
communicating with older people easier:
-
Reduce background noises
that may be distracting (e.g., turn off the radio or TV, close
the door, or move to a quieter place)
- Begin the conversation with
casual topics
(e.g., the weather or what the person had for lunch). Avoid
crucial messages at the beginning.
- Talk about
familiar subjects
such as family members and special interests of the person
-
Stick to a topic. Avoid quick shifts from topic to topic.
- Keep
sentences and questions short.
- Give older persons
a moment to reminisce. Their memories are important to them.
- Allow extra time for responding.
Don't hurry them.
- Give the older person
choices to ease decision making. (e.g., "Do you want tea or coffee?" rather than
"What do you want to drink?")
-
Be an active listener. Look for hints from eye gaze and gestures. Take a guess
(e.g., "Are you talking about the TV news? Yes? Tell me
more. I didn't see it.")
After your visit, tell others who visit (relatives,
physicians, nurses, aides, etc.) what you've learned to
improve communicating with the older person.
If you have concerns about a loved one's ability to
communicate, visit
ASHA's Find a Professional
for help.