People who come in age around 60 or 65 are considered elderly. Elderly people are those people who have an experience of their life and they have the best stories related to their life that one can hear. They also share their life stories from when they were in their young age and any interesting things ever happened to them. Attentive listeners are sometimes loved by elderly people as they listen carefully and respectfully to them because elderly people want someone who can hear their problems and their thoughts that help the old age people feel better. It is really a great thing, especially for those who lived in aged care as they don’t have a lot of visitors to talk to. In this essay, I am going to describe various facts that are related to the elderly. This report contains different types of sections related to barriers in working with old age people, effective communication ways, and understanding with elderly people.
Barriers to Working with Elderly People
During working with the elderly, there are some barriers that affect elderly people in some ways. The main barrier while working with elderly people is the communication barrier. Some of these barriers are defined below:
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- Communication barrier. While working in aged care, we can see that there are many old age people living who are from different cultures, religions, etc. Ultimately if they are from different countries or religions, then they have a different language. So, one can’t understand properly what the elderly person is saying if the next person can’t speak English. It may lead to some misunderstandings and a lack of facilities that many workers have to give them.
- Lack of assistance. Some of the parents are left by their families lonely because of certain social and professional factors that keep older people insecure and it can turn into tension as well as anxiety. As a result of these circumstances, they treat other people rudely and aggressively.
- Lack of cultural awareness. If elderly people living in aged care don’t have an awareness of different cultures, it leads to discrimination between everyone. Each people must have knowledge about every culture. And they must set one thing in their mind that they don’t need to let know about the culture of another person.
- Lack of education. Due to a lack of education people have no more knowledge about everything. Also, it leads to gender inequality because if they are not educated, they don’t have an awareness of gender inequality.
- Lack of technology skills. Technology is a most important factor for elders because with technology they can spend their free time, for example, using laptops, playing games, watching TV, and many more. If there are lack of technology skills, then it can lead to depression.
Communication Skills Required for Effectively Communicating with Elderly People
Sometimes communicating with the elderly can be challenging when they become aged, as they lose their senses with the age increment, which sometimes causes barriers during communication. Moreover, some other conditions are related to age, such as difficulties in hearing or vision. But still, with a little effort and thought, these barriers can be overcome. You will make sure when talking with the elders that you can be clearly heard and understood by them. We must talk with them very firmly, not the same as we talk with our own same age persons. For establishing positive relationships with elderly people, the most important thing is care, which is important for specific communication skills and strategies. Now, I am going to discuss some steps for effective communication.
- Eye contact. This is the most important factor while communicating with elderly people. It helps elderly people to describe their problems and issues easily. In this way, they know that you are giving your proper attention to the next person.
- Sitting style. Always make sure that sit in front of the next person at some distance in which elderly people feel comfortable. Don’t sit too close to the next person, because it makes them nervous. Everyone has a limit of distancing in which they feel comfy, so we must consider this fact while communicating with them.
- Listening. This is another important factor during a conversation. Always show the next person that you are listening to him/her attentively by using some words (hmm, oh, yeah). These kinds of things let elderly people know that you are listening actively to what they are saying.
- Communication skills. As I mentioned before, due the age factors elderly people may have hearing issues, so make sure that always speak at a speed and volume that can the elderly hear. Also, avoid background noises. Using, some gestures may also be very helpful.
Understanding with the Elderly
To overcome all those barriers, especially communication barriers, it is important to understand the elderly. They just need love and emotional support, because they are already living separately from their families. We have to understand their emotions and communicate with them in the way they like. Always do such kind of activities with them which they like. If they want to go outside to visit some places, then take them there. Through this, they realize that someone is there to look after them. We have to make a relationship with them like friends. These things make a good relationship between them and make the elderly feel free to discuss their problems with us.
Conclusion
Overall, many people have begun to live in smaller businesses and communities for a better lifestyle, and there is some distance from one another, which leads to the generation gap. In this situation, families neglect to take care of their elders, which is really a worrying thing. Older people be significant cultural resources and mentors for the young generation. For that reason, some organizations like government and non-governmental should inspire and raise awareness among young people about caring for the elders in their families. So, that elderly people can live with their families.
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