Essay on Communication with Dementia Patients

Dementia sufferers communicate in many different ways. They may not be able to speak but they can communicate non-verbally with positive or negative behaviour. They can also communicate using body language and through posture.

Communication is any form of expressing and receiving of messages between individuals. The importance of Communication in the nursing profession is to maintain high quality care for the patient but also maintain effective collaboration between professionals. Boykins, D (2014) states that the “registered nurse is expected to communicate in various formats and in all areas of practice”. Various formats include speaking to patients and coworkers as well as utilizing appropriate protocols and systems to effectively communicate regards to patient’s status.

When I was 18 year old, I applied to work at an assisted living facility called, Crestwood Senior living (currently known as Matthews of Glendale). When I first got hired, I was introduced to all the staff and all the residents as well. After being employed there for a while I started to notice that some resident were acting different from the first time I had met them and I did not understand why. So I asked my coworker, why some of the residents were acting different and she explained to me that some of the resident have dementia. Now, at that time I didn’t really know what dementia was because I had never worked in that type of field before or have taking any classes on that type of disease. So, I decided to do a little research on my

As a nurse, communication is an essential and important factor to building a therapeutic relationship between a nurse and patient as it is the difference between average and excellent nursing care, as it helps maintain a good quality of life and allows nurses’ and patients to interact and provide comfort when needed. The importance of good communication can become apparent with patients especially when they are in the hospital, as it helps the nurses build a positive relationship with patients and helps overcome barriers including physical, psychological and social. A therapeutic relationship is built on many factors which include both verbal and non-verbal communication which helps maintains the relationship and strengthens it due to the positive impact it has not only on the patient’s experience but also the nurse’s.

In this essay I will recall and describe my experience in a health care environment and reflect on communication in that interaction. I will look into interpersonal and communication skills used by the health professional and what I learned from this interaction. And if I am going to use those skills in my future nursing practice.

All forms of dementia can make it hard for an individual to communicate, a person with dementia may struggle to find the right word or repeat words or phrases or even become stuck on certain sounds.

Being able to give and receive information is the key to provide effective care to the patient. Positive attitude towards work and sharing information is needed as this will lead in giving quality and satisfying care and promote wellbeing. Also informing patient about their care is important as this will help build trust between you and the patient .If there is communication between nurse and patient it increases the nurse understanding of the patient’s needs and values. It also helps clarification if there is misunderstanding (Dabney and Tzeng, 3013). Communication is a two way of expressive and receptive so that the message and responsibilities of both parties is understood. As a nurse I need to be clear, concise when talking and to write effectively. The information has to flow freely between health care team and patients (Boykins,

For health care professionals (HCP) communicating with dementia patients can be challenging in most health settings. Dementia is a degenerative disease that causes a decline in cognitive and functional abilities, as the condition progresses the ability to communicate worsens (Kilgore, 2015). HCP employed within dementia units require an individual approach when communicating with patients, as people with dementia (PWD) can become easily disorientated and confused (Kilgore, 2015). Nonverbal communication such as listening can uncover underlying problems with patients’ health. Whereas, verbal communication is the application of language, such as tone and simple

Communication is an interactive process where an individual transmits a message to another individual or a group. ‘Human communication is an ongoing dynamic series of events in which meaning is generated and transmitted.’ (Potter& Perry, 2000 pp 271) In saying so there are two main factors when communicating, them being the verbal or non-verbal exchange of information between people. Although these two factors have many different ways of communicating the main feature that they both have in common would have to be ‘the process involves reciprocal sending and receiving of messages between two or more people; an individual transmits a message by encoding their thoughts & feelings into words or gestures.’ (Riley Balzer,J.(2000). Communication in Nursing. (4th ed.). St Louis, Missouri: Mosby.pp ix)

Communication underpins every interaction between professionals and service users. It is vital to remember for this to be effective it is a two-way process that will help in the development of a professional relationship (National Health Service [NHS], 2015). Sheldon and Foust (2013) agrees but further this by stating effective communication also assists in health, growth and development. Communication is one of the six nursing core values known as the 6’C’s and is the foundation of the other five core values (Erica & Elaine, 2015). Higgs, Sefton, Street, McAllister & Hay (2005) agrees and further this by stating effective communication ensures the service user receives a positive outcome from medical professionals when accessing any medical assistance. Effective communication is not a skill that an individual acquires in daily life, therefore it is vital that

communicating and also feel that it is important for nurses to talk to patients as

The nurse is expected to be able to communicate effectively with patients because appropriate communication is the device which allows the nurse to understand, empower and inspire the patient, and this will help the nurse to identify the patient's concerns and needs (Collins 2009). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2008) states that patients should be able to trust the nurse with their health and wellbeing and for this to happen the care of the patient must be the nurse's first

Communication is an inherent requirement in nursing as it is an essential skill needed to ensure positive and effective outcomes. Communication can be described as transferring information through speech or other means. Nurses and patients must be able to process and understand the information been given to ensure effective communication (Kourkouta, L., & Papathanasiou, I. V., 2014, p.65). Communication can be divided into 3 groups, verbal, non-verbal, and written (Murdoch University, 2018). There are also different types of communication that can be used by nurses in specific types of situations such as therapeutic, interprofessional and intraprofessional, and etc (Levett-Jones, T., & Bourgeois, S., 2015, p.107). Nurses communicate

As a nurse the ability to communicate effectively with other health care and professionals is very important part of our job. Effective communication can help reduce stress and improve quality care for the patient and families. Nurses should advocate for their patients and at the same time collaborate with other professionals to treat patients as a whole. Few communication strategies that nurse use to communicate effectively are shift huddle and multidisciplinary patient rounding during which includes every professional that involve in the patient care. Nurses should also speak clearly and slowly for other to understand the reason of the conversation, active Listening is very important for nurses to use both with patient and with professionals

It is factual that effective communication skills and competency are needed upon achieving a profession as a nurse. Upon first greeting a patient the distinctive level of communication is apparent. Communication has two core factors, non-verbal and verbal. Both types of communication will be implemented on a regular basis as I interact with patients in my nursing career. It will be vital for me to attain an increased and developed