Interpersonal communication in the older age

1. Elderly people and communication challenges

It is very difficult to set a certain limit of "older" or "senior" age. Aging is a very individual and variable and also an asynchronous process that does not affect the whole organism and all its functions evenly. In any case, poeple are usually referred to as seniors persons in age categories over 65 years (usually this group is also distinguished to younger and older seniors, between whom the age limit is approximately in the range of 75. – 80. year of age), although some experts point out that it would be more appropriate to assess age rather in terms of biological processes and changes in the organism of the person than on the basis of his/her age (Worral; Hickson, 2003).

Communication issues in the older age

We may find a list of common communication issues associated with so-called healthy (physiological) aging (Worral & Hickson, 2003):

Hearing

• Sensitivity to higher tones decreases
• The ability to understand speech in worse acoustic conditions decreases

Language

• The speed and ability to express oneself is reduced
• The ability to understand more complex messages is reduced 

Conversation content

• The ability to understand complex and long messages is reduced
• Efficiency decreases and ambiguity of expression increases
• Concentration just on one particular topic topic increases,  while communication coherence decreases 

Speech

• Decreasing respiratory adequacy when speaking
• Articulation accuracy deteriorates
• The speech rate decreases

Voice

• For men, the voice position increases, for women it decreases
• The voice quality deteriorates

(Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels)

2. Strategies for communication with elderly people

In communication contact with older people, we should keep some basic steps:

• Make sure that the environment is communication-friendly (quiet, well lit, well arranged for face-to-face interactions, etc.).
• Let's ajust the speech rate, the content, and other elements to abilities and limits of a person (taking into account their communication strengths and weaknesses).
• Let's focus on topic related to person's needs and daily issues, using his/her vocabulary.
• Let's communicate with respect and understanding (take extra time for communication, confirm understanding with feed-back, etc.).
• Make sure that communication (sensory) aids (eye glasses, hearing aids, communication devices, memory aids, etc.) are available and used, if a person needs it.
• Let's listen to older people - they need it, and they also have a lot to tell us...

Watch the video and write down some important general principles which should be considered in communication with elderly people: