The Power of Language: Elderspeak
By Lisa Evans - Published on Monday, 30 August 2010 18:52
“Good Morning Sweetie. Did we have a good sleep? Let’s open up these curtains and let the sunshine in, shall we? Let’s take your pills now, honey, and don’t forget to drink all your orange juice.”
Elderspeak – the use of terms of endearment, simplified grammar and vocabulary is commonly used by nursing home caregivers in their interactions with residents. This simplified language, similar to “baby talk”, might be interpreted as nurturing and warm when directed towards an infant, but studies have shown that the use of this language in nursing homes can have negative emotional and physical health implications on elderly patients.
While caregivers may assume they are showing affection; elderly residents may interpret such language as patronizing and condescending. They may assume the caregivers’ use of elderspeak implies that the resident is incompetent and incapable of being spoken to on an adult level, resulting in lower self-esteem and a loss of personal dignity.
In a recent article published in Psychology Today titled “Elderspeak: How Names Can Harm You”, author Ira Rosofsky reminds us that nursing home residents already struggle with the loss of their personal space, which can contribute to their feelings of inadequacy. It is easy for caregivers to forget that residents were once private citizens living in their own homes, with the ability to shut the door to the outside world and enjoy their private time. Once this individual becomes a resident in a nursing home, their lives cease to become private. They are forced to live their lives in public and lose their personal space that most adults truly value. The added use of the infantilized language of elderspeak can exacerbate residents’ feelings of loss of their personal dignity and can have serious consequences on their self-esteem and their mental and physical health.
Rosofsky argues that it is important for caregivers to recognize the way in which their language usage can be interpreted by residents and the need to keep the personal dignity of residents at the forefront of their minds. Eliminating the use of elderspeak, and addressing residents by their last names (Mrs. Smith, rather than Edith) as a sign of respect for the elderly, are important practices for all caregivers to learn.
In her article, Rosofsky cites a study conducted by Kristine Williams, RN, PhD, a gerontologist at the University of Kansas, who videotaped interactions between nursing home staff and residents with moderate dementia. The study revealed that residents had greater resistance to care when they were addressed with elderspeak, and demonstrated greater compliance and cooperation when they were addressed with normal adult conversation, highlighting the connection between how the elderly are treated, and their mental and physical health.
The job of nursing home caregivers is to provide the most nurturing environment for elderly patients. It is important for caregivers to always keep the personal dignity of residents at the forefront of their minds and to be aware of the messages they are sending to elders through their language.
