Often seniors find it difficult to communicate with people around them in a way that feels more than superficial. This can happen for a lot of reasons, but it can leave seniors feeling even more alone. Working with companion care at home can offer seniors more time with people who use active listening to improve communication and to help them feel involved in the world around them.

Being Fully Present

Often seniors who are aging in place spend a lot of time alone. When there is someone there, it helps if they are fully present and engaged with the aging adult. Caregivers are able to put their full attention to spending time with the person they’re there to visit. Maintaining eye contact, showing interest, and ensuring that the person they’re talking with is able to hear them is all part of communicating effectively.

Expressing Empathy

Caregivers are there to offer companionship, but they also express empathy for the aging adults they’re spending time with on a regular basis. It’s helpful when caregivers connect with their patients as much as they can while also seeing the situation from the senior’s perspective. That allows the home care providers to respond with compassion and understanding, even in complicated situations.

Asking Open-ended Questions

Closed questions are ones that require a simple answer like “yes,” “no,” or even just a short phrase. These types of questions don’t encourage conversation or engagement at all. When caregivers are there with seniors, they’re more likely to ask open-ended questions. These are questions that invite aging adults to share thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a more involved conversation.

Summarizing to Ensure Understanding

Another tip home care providers use that helps with improving communication with aging adults is to summarize what the individual has just said to show that the caregiver is actively listening. This helps to validate emotions and experiences, acknowledge what is happening, and also ensure understanding. Seniors are less likely to feel frustrated when active listening tools are used regularly.

Paying Attention to Non-verbal Cues

Seniors might not tell elder care professionals exactly how they’re feeling, but facial expressions and body language reveal a lot. These non-verbal cues help caregivers to see what might be really going on, either in a conversation or in a larger sense with a senior’s well-being. This can help companion care at home to keep family caregivers informed about what their aging adult’s life is really like.

Practicing Patience

Often seniors feel rushed by the world around them. They might walk or talk slower than they used to, and the world isn’t necessarily forgiving about that. Companion care at home is there for the individual, however. Caregivers practice patience and allow seniors to have the time they need to gather their thoughts and to express them.

Offering Reassurance and Support 

When seniors feel supported and encouraged, that can help them to feel safer about opening up with the people around them. This can be especially important for seniors who have been spending a lot of time feeling isolated and alone. Caregivers take the time to offer the reassurance and support that helps aging adults to feel safe.

Active listening and effective communication are tools that companion care at home uses to forge real relationships with aging adults. Seniors are able to feel a real connection with the caregivers who come to visit them and that makes a difference everywhere in their lives.

If you or an aging loved-one is considering companion care at home in Glendale, CA please contact the caring staff at Nu Care Inc. today at. 800-505-6890