Improving Your Communication With Older Adults

By Franklin Skribbit


Lee Iacocca reported that he failed at retirement. He spent a career guiding Chrysler and Ford to success. His career wasn't easy; in fact it meant a lot of late nights and busy weekends away. Lee spent every day of his working life deep in the trenches of the business world.

Many people confuse gerontology with geriatrics. But geriatrics is the specific study of diseases in older adults, so you can see how these two fields differ.

Gerontology is currently a rapidly growing field. Many people who study gerontology in school go on to become nurses, nurse's assistants, hospice workers, and a wide variety of other jobs and professions.

Those that attend these assemblies often find that they are able to find context and comfort in the process as they fondly remember the life of the deceased. Often times, memorial services are an opportunity to reminisce and share what made the person special, which brings joy to those in attendance.

If you want to study gerontology, there are several things you should learn about how to communicate with older people. One thing that is very important is that you have to give older people a lot more time to understand what you're saying than younger people.

Second, your body doesn't react to it well. Retirement looks like people sitting in chairs watching TV. Exercise becomes (or indeed stays) an undesirable activity. It's during this time that you need it the most though. Health science watches the sentient lifestyle create an overweight population while increasing the chances for chronic disease. It's an active lifestyle that keeps these ill-effects away.

Third and finally, your social health will still thrive. Spending your time with beloved friends and making new acquaintances at work increase your social network. It's these relationships that can turn into lasting friendships for later in life. You can never have enough friends and you'll always enjoy making new ones.

If you are on your phone or computer and trying to talk to an older person, they may not feel like you are spending quality time with them. If you try to spend the first minute you are with them really focusing on what they are saying, then they will most likely be able to tell that you are interested in them and they will trust you.

Another great way to communicate with an older adult is to sit face-to-face across from them. Many people are afraid of doing this because they think that maybe it will be awkward for them or for the older person.

It is a combination of all of these factors that makes for a good and remembered memorial service. Every service will be different, based on the life that is being remembered, but still, these factors may all be commonly found in most cases, and the familiarity of the proceedings is enough to bring comfort to many who are in attendance.

Using short and simple words and sentences can also increase the likelihood that the person you are talking to will understand you. As you continue in your studies of gerontology, you will most likely learn even more tips that will help you communicate with the elderly.

When it comes time to retire, perhaps you'll see that sitting on a couch for the rest of your life isn't the way. It's better spent on the move, working, learning, and becoming better to continually stave off the ill-effects of old age, like Lee and so many others.




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