Communication, Learning, and Patient Education

Question 1

How is health literacy applicable to older adults?

Answer 1

• older adults at especially high risk for misunderstanding
• health literacy declines with age
• independently associated with greater risk of hospital admission, lower use of preventative health services, poor physical and mental health and higher all-cause mortality

Question 2

Why do many aging adults have difficulty understanding verbal and written health communication?

Answer 2

• sensory deficits
• high stress and or anxiety
• language barriers
• communication at TOO HIGH LEVEL
• lower health literacy

Question 3

What are helpful communication tips for older adults health literacy?

Answer 3

• slow down and take extra time
• use plain, nonmedical language
• show or draw pictures
• limit amount of info and repeat it
• use the teach back technique
• create shame-free environment; encourage questions
• sit face to face and use eye contact
• listen without interrupting
• summarize key points
• let pt ask questions

Question 4

How can you keep your communication in plain language when writing medical instructions?

Answer 4

-talk directly to reader
-positive friendly tone
-short words common in spoken language
-short sentences
-active voice
attractive writing
-easy to read
-big font (no less than 14)

Question 5

What is Geragogy?

Answer 5

teaching approach recognizing special needs of older adults related to learning
-refers to need to fine-tune adult teaching and instructional styles for older adults who are post-career, no longer raisning families or are often frail

Question 6

What considerations should be made when teaching new info to older adults?

Answer 6

• accommodate for slower speed of mental processing
• present one new item at a time before going to the next
• encourage “errorless” learning
• incorporate compensatory strategies as needed
• incorporate multimodal sensory inputs
• encourage formation of a habit
• have older adult paraphrase the info or demonstrate the new skill

Question 7

What is the cure vs. care model

Answer 7

Cure-paternalism-we are acting in “best interest of pt”

Care-values autonomy and collaboration of/with pt

Question 8

How can you document whether learning has occurred and to what extent?

Answer 8

• return demo
• repeat back
• checklists and diaries