Communication: What to Do

• Talk as you normally would, using your normal tone of voice and mannerisms.
• Decrease or eliminate distractions. It is much easier to concentrate on speaking and listening when you are not distracted. Turn off the TV or radio, or go to a quiet place. You may want to limit the number of people in the room at one time.
• Decrease or eliminate the stress of communication. When talking or listening, try to sit down and act calm. Attempting to hurry the patient along will caause stress, which increases the difficulty of speaking and can causse frustration.
• Demonstrate or gesture what you need the patient to do. If the patient has difficulty understanding speech, demonstrating, gesturing, or pointing may help him understand.
• Encourage any kind of communication. It may be easier for the patient to gesture, point, or demonstrate what is needed. This increases your ability to understand.
• Engage in routine, daily activities that stimulate meaningful speech. Playing card games, looking at magazines may allow the patient to speak in a relaxed situation.
• Watch for body language. The patient's facial expressions may indicate if your message or question was understood. Repeat the message as needed.
• Focus on content. do not focus on individual words but rather on the content of the message. If it takes the patient 5 minutes or 8 sentences to tell you that he needs to go to the bathroom, then it was a successful communication attempt.
• Don't play "20 Questions". This can be as frustrating to the patient as it is to you. Watch for body language and analyze the environment or situation before assisting the patient with communication.