Seven Tips for Communicating with Elderly Loved Ones

“The greatest difficulty with communication is the illusion that it has been achieved”..George Bernard Shaw.

For a lot of us, caring for and communicating with elderly loved ones can be a challenge. Although aging is something we all know to be inevitable, it can be an unsettling process to watch as someone close to us declines in cognitive and communication abilities.

While cognitive decline presents its own unique challenges, communication can be even more frustrating as your loved one loses the ability to express themselves and express even their most basic needs.

You may notice that you are repeating yourself to the point of exhaustion or even acting as the main interpreter for your friends and family.

Communication difficulty can take away from the positive interactions that should be a staple of daily life. • The growing frustration it causes begins to color your every conversation. Remember that this too shall pass, it’s a time to be patient and understanding.• However there are things you can do to help the situation.

By changing the way we communicate with our loved ones we can try to avoid communication conflicts and keep all stress levels in the care environment to a minimum. Some things to remember are:

Be patient with your loved one. Many seniors become frustrated and stop trying or simply stop cooperating if they feel that they are being rushed or forced.

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Keep conversations simple. Summaries and shorter words are a great way to help your loved one stay in the mix without making them feel like they are being treated differently, or that they are a burden on others.

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Try to not finish your loved ones sentences. Though it may be helpful to the conversation, it can be seen as demeaning and may make them feel that they are not important or independent.

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Involve your loved one in the decision making process by giving them choices in their daily activities.. (This works for children too!) This allows them to feel that they are more in control of their lives and that their decisions matter (which they do).

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Speak slowly, clearly and at a reasonably volume (Don’t shout, you don’t want to be yelled at do you?). As hearing is one of the most common things that declines among the elderly it’s important to ensure that your quality of speech is as clear as possible.

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If possible make sure that your loved one can see your face while communicating. Seniors often rely on lip reading and other nonverbal communication to make up for hearing loss.

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Remember, all things in life are temporary. As sad as it sounds there will be a day when your loved one has passed. As difficult as some days might be, all times spent with your loved ones are precious. Approach each day with this in mind.

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