How to communicate with patient | How patient communicates |
---|---|
To help her understand you: | -has aphasia and some visual field impairment; ↓ attention to right side |
- give her time to process what you’ve said | |
-understands short and more complicated instructions but needs ++ time to respond | |
To help her express herself: | |
- has limited speech; has hesitations and incomplete sentences; benefits from time to get her message out | |
-verify her yes/no responses (use the yes/no sheet in the kit; have her point to yes/no) | |
- her yes/no answers are not always accurate | |
-wears glasses for reading | |
- ask her to point or gesture if she can’t say what she wants to express | -can read/understand written words and simple sentences; often needs to re-read to understand better |
-or- give her written choices to point to (use the whiteboard in the kit) | -can write letters, numbers and simple words |
-or-ask her to write a word or the first few letters of a word if she can’t say it (use the whiteboard in the kit) | |
-make sure she’s wearing her reading glasses if using written cues | |
-give her time to express herself | |
Keep materials and written cues on LEFT side. | Â |
What patient behaviours mean | Patient habits to know to avoid communication problems |
-the words & phrases she repeats over and over may not be what she wants to say; use the strategies above to help her express herself. | - her communication is worse when she’s tired; discuss important issues when she’s rested. |
-in general, she needs extra time to understand you and to express herself | |
-communication problems interfere with her family and social life | |
 | -can’t use the phone because she’s not understood |