Positive Communication with Alzheimers Disease Patients - Essay Example

Assessment of interviewing and feedback skills Assessment of interviewing and feedback skills Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain and is a common cause of dementia. Dementia comprises of symptoms that include behavior changes, impaired thinking, loss of language skills and memory. Such symptoms take place when certain conditions and diseases like Alzheimer’s disease have damaged the brain. With Alzheimer’s disease, the brain cells and other nerve cells connection breaks hence degenerating and dying (Bradbury 2007, 28). Alzheimer’s results to the shortage of brain chemicals involved in message transmission within the brain. People with Alzheimer’s can become confused and forget names of places, people, recent events or appointments. They can also experience memory loss, mood swings, become withdrawn or have communication problems (Lu 2011, 23). With time and as the disease progresses, a person with Alzheimer’s needs support from people who care about them as with John’s case. Positive communication is a form of communication enhanced by communication skills like right body language, correct translation and proper attention. It enables us to understand better a situation or a person and helps us resolve differences, build respect and trust and establish an environment where affection can flourish (Monica, 2013). Positive communication is not just about exchanging information but it also involves understanding the feelings behind the information. It helps improve relationships in social situations, at work and at home by deepening connections through problem solving and decision-making. Positive communication combines skills including attentive listening, capacity to understand emotions and being able to manage stress. On the other hand, the common elements of negative communication include shouting, punching walls, slamming doors and so on. This kind of communication results when a person’s attitude is not caring and respectful, when one’s feelings are ignored or when a person fails to express their feelings (Narula 2006, 37). This video has demonstrated both positive and negative communication. Negative communication Communication issue identified Rationale Use of a calm tone The nurse uses a polite tone when walking to the house of John so as to persuade him to allow her into the house. The nurse is courteous enough to understand that John is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. She does not use a harsh tone in expressing her concern about getting into then house. After entering the house, she noticed that his head had an injury and asked him calmly what had happened. Thereafter she made a phone call to the ambulance services and requested them to come over and attend to John (Narula 2006, 43). The nurse was caring enough to explain to John that she had asked for help and that she had contacted his two daughters. When his daughter Kerry showed up, she knelt down close enough to her father so that she could pay attention to what he was saying and responded in a caring and loving manner. For instance, when John says that he has a surprise for her mother Kerry calmly and politely says, “Dad, mum’s gone”. Phil and Steve also addressed John with a calm tone by explaining to him who they were and why they were taking his blood pressure. Listening assiduously to other people When Kerry got to the house she politely greeted the nurse and asked about her father. Communication between the nurse and Kerry was accommodative because they did not argue at any given time. The nurse gave the two paramedics from the ambulance services a warm reception as much as the house was not hers and she took her time to explain to them about John (Monica2013, 56). Additionally, Kerry and the nurse were able to get along well because their mode of communication entailed listening attentively to one another and this made the situation easier to handle. Positive communication Positive communication identified Rationale Use of an unforgiving tone Jenny entered the house and without asking what had happened to her father, she kept insisting that her father was all right and that there was no need for his hospitalization. She dragged her sister Kerry to a different room and when the nurse joined them, she harshly asked her “what do you want?” instead of appreciating the efforts made by the nurse towards her father (Lu 2011, 39). Additionally, she does not mind how what her sister would feel but looks at her and shouts that it was her wish that their father had died instead of their mother. Unbefitting body language When Jenny enters the house, she does not greet the people in the house and drags Kerry in the next room as she tries to figure out what is going on. Jenny does not pay attention to what she is told but instead moves around the house vigorously and in protest as she tries to prevent her father from being taken to the hospital. Unable to convince them otherwise, Jenny rudely storms out of the house and leaves Kerry, the nurse, Phil and Steve to handle the situation. An Ethical Issue: Ethical Issue Rationale Slackness The ethical issue in this case is principally Jenny walking in after hearing that her father has had a fall. She comes in the house and does not greet the nurse, creating an air of ignorance and insensitivity. She goes on to differ about his dad being taken to hospital, which is still callous of her since the old man needs urgent medical check up and treatments. It was clear that Jenny had neglected her duty as a daughter. As much as Jenny shouted and tried to hear nothing of their father being taken to the hospital, Kerry was determined to see that he got medical attention with the help of the nurse and the two men from the ambulance services. All this time Kerry portrayed calmness and patience as she did not shout back to Jenny or exchange words with her even after Kerry had realized that she was cheating John out of his money. It was the duty of John’s daughters to take care of him due to his ailment but Kerry seemed to be the only one doing what was right while Jenny’s concern was her father’s money and business. It’s logical to think before uttering any word to protect hurting other people’s feelings since words can make a person happy, sad, angry or highly infuriated if not well chosen. This is because the moment the words are out, they cannot be taken back. Impatience or temper should not color communication unnecessarily. We should get into the habit of pausing and collecting our thoughts. References Bradbury, R 2007, Alzheimer’s disease, Springer, New York. Lu, CL 2011, Alzheimer’s disease, ABC-CLIO, California. Monica, La 2013, The power of positive communication, viewed 28 February 2013 Narula, U 2006, Handbook of Communication Models, Perspectives, Strategies, Atlantic Publishers & Dist, New Delhi. Read More