In their article “Pilot testing an educational intervention to improve communication with patients with dementia,” the authors suggest certain communication techniques that can be effective for the hospital staff when they are communicating with patients with dementia. They state that a perfect approach is an individual approach, as it takes into account a particular person’s problems. Since hospital stays are short in most cases, and caregivers do not spend enough time with their patients, it is difficult to develop individual techniques for each patient.
Nevertheless, the authors’ suggestions can help improve the situation. Thus, key techniques are using reminiscence, asking permission, and using simple explanations. Asking permission is needed for preparing patients for procedures. Simple explanations, slow speech, and the use of simple gestures make communication easier. Reminiscence is effective, as in most cases, patients can rely on their long-term memory. Additionally, there are other techniques that can facilitate communication with such patients (Weitzel et al., 2011). They are:
- Using a full name
- Approaching slowly and directly
- Respecting personal space
- Giving positive feedback
- Avoiding pronouns
- Avoiding using “don’t”
- Communicating directly with a patient
- Avoiding orientation questions
- Listening carefully (Weitzel et al., 2011).
Reference
Weitzel, T., Robinson, S., Mercer, S., Berry, T., Barnes, M., Plunkett, D., … Kirkbride, G. (2011). Pilot testing an educational intervention to improve communication with patients with dementia. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 27(5), 220-226.