Communication with the Elderly... a Student Nurse Reflects.

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PORTFOLIO ENTRY 4 PART A My experience that I am reflecting on relates to my time in a day hospital on my care of the elderly placement. My preceptor explained on my first day that at the end of this placement my communication skills would improve greatly as an important part of working with the elderly was having good communication skills. The first week I spent in the day hospital I observed the daily routine, which entailed a lot of talking to the patients and encouraging them in their activities of daily living (Roper et al, 1996). I did not feel optimistic about my ability to do this, as I did not have much experience with the elderly. Because of this, I was quite shy and withdrawn. My attempts to make small talk with the patients were awkward and I struggled to communicate well, often having to repeat myself for the patients or straining to hear what they had said. As it was the start of the year, all the patents had to be reassessed on a one to one basis. After sitting with the staff nurse as she assessed some of the patients, I observed the ease at which she spoke to the patients and how they responded positively. The patients had their assessments in a quiet private room with no distractions or interruptions and the nurse sat facing them. She spoke clearly and audibly yet was not patronising. The staff nurse explained the reasons why she conducted the assessments this way. I realised that a lot of thought had gone in to every aspect of the interaction between nurse and patient. Subsequently I had to do some assessments on my own. Through talking to the patients on a one to one basis and using what I had observed and learned, I felt that I got to know them much better. I could ask questions that I would have been embarrassed to ask previously. I could feel my confidence growing as my communication skills improved. By the end of my placement, I really felt

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