Communication is one of the most important skills that anyone uses in their daily life. It is the way that people engage with others, express their thoughts and emotions, and ensure that their needs are known.
Home Health Care Key Biscayne FL – Tips for Helping a Senior Cope with Communication Issues After Suffering a TBI
Unfortunately there are health issues that can make communication more challenging. One such health problem is traumatic brain injury. Communication issues are one of the most common effects of TBI, but as a family caregiver it is important to understand that even though these challenges are common, they can be very difficult for your elderly parent, and for you as their caregiver.
Finding ways to help your parent cope with these issues can support better mental and emotional health as they deal with these challenges and help to maintain quality of life as they age in place.
Use these tips to help your senior cope with communication issues after suffering a TBI:
• Be patient. Watching your parent struggle with their communication is frustrating and upsetting, but it is very important that you are as patient as possible. Showing your frustration will only make your parent anxious and upset, possibly worsening their issues. Allow them to take their time when speaking and do not rush them or try to finish their sentences for them.
• Be aware of their issues. If you do not know what it is that they are struggling with, it is very difficult for you to know how to help the handle them. Identify the actual issues that they are having, whether it is forming words, understanding what is said to them, or utilizing nonverbal cues. You can then adjust your communication and care to address those particular challenges.
• Be flexible. There is not just one type of communication and your parent should not feel as though they cannot engage with anyone or express themselves because they have difficulty with a particular type of communication. Be willing to adjust how you communicate with your parent and to work with them to interpret how they can communicate with you. This might mean using more or fewer nonverbal cues, writing rather than speaking, or using specific signals to begin and end conversations.
If your parent is struggling with particular health challenges and complications, or you feel that they would benefit from additional support and assistance, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting home health care for them. A home health care services provider can be there with your aging parent on a customized schedule to ensure that they have access to the highly personalized services that they need to support a happy, healthy, comfortable, and safe quality of life as they age in place.
These services are tailored specifically to your senior’s challenges and limitations and can include safe and reliable transportation to where they need and want to go, assistance with personal care needs such as bathing, toileting, and dressing, meal preparation, and companionship.
Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/get_the_facts.html
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/traumatic-brain-injury/basics/definition/con-20029302
http://www.biausa.org/living-with-brain-injury.htm
