Communication

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Chapter 9: Communication

Overview:

• Includes a list of factors to be considered before making verbal contact with a patient including their social, cultural and personal backgrounds
• Explains how to deal with a hostile reception when attempts at communication are made
• Provides strategies for listening such as making sense of statements that seem confused and untrue

Description:

Effective communication plays a crucial role in all care giving, especially in the provision of care to people with dementia. This is not only because of the day-to-day communication problems that can be caused by dementia, but also because of the broader obligation to maintain the quality of life of those receiving care. This chapter presents strategies which will assist nurses to communicate better, especially with dementia patients.

Topics:

• Strategies for better communication
  • Before making contact
  • Making an approach
  • Dealing with a hostile reception
  • Beginning individual communication
  • Working together
• Strategies for listening
  • Active listening
  • Making sense of misnamings and verbal fragments
  • Making sense of statements that seem confused or untrue
• Listening sympathetically to stories
• Communicating to the very end

Speaker / Author:

Jane Crisp
Jane retired recently as a senior lecturer in the School of Film, Media and Cultural Studies at Griffith University, Brisbane (Australia), where she now holds an honorary adjunct position. Her doctorate in English literature was obtained from the Australian National University, and she has taught and published in the fields of nineteenth-century fiction, film and media, cultural studies, and communication studies.

More recently, Jane has applied ideas from her professional work to communicating with people who have dementia—inspired by her experiences with her mother. She has spent time in New Zealand, Australia, Britain, and France meeting fellow researchers and professional carers and visiting specialised care units. Jane has presented papers at international conferences and talked to many carer groups. She has published extensively in both English and French. Jane’s book, Keeping in Touch with Someone Who Has Alzheimer’s was published by Ausmed Publications.

Professional Reviews: