- Section 1 Ageing population and policy
- Section 2 Key concepts in care of older adults
- Chapter 14 A life course approach for understanding later life sustainability
- Chapter 15 Ageing, multimorbidity, and daily functioning
- Chapter 16 Comprehensive geriatric assessment: evidence
- Chapter 17 Comprehensive geriatric assessment
- Chapter 18 Engaging older patients in their treatment and care
- Chapter 19 Models of healthcare for older people
- Chapter 20 History taking and physical examination
- Chapter 21 Communication
- Chapter 22 Interprofessional team building and case management
- Chapter 23 Age-friendly environments and their role in supporting Healthy Ageing
- Chapter 24 Principles of medication management
- Chapter 25 Optimizing pharmacotherapy for older patients
- Chapter 26 Limitations in the evidence for safe and effective medications for older people
- Chapter 27 General principles of recovery and rehabilitation
- Chapter 28 The approach of dying and death, and the mourning process of the survivors
- Chapter 29 Legal and ethical issues in care of older adults
- Section 3 Principles and organization of care
- Section 4 Age-related biological changes, altered physiology, and vulnerability to diseases and chronic conditions
- Section 5 Geriatric syndromes in clinical practice
- Section 6 Nutrition and metabolism
- Section 7 Mobility disorders: prevention, impact, and compensation
- Section 8 Infections in older adults: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 9 Cancer: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 10 Vascular diseases: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 11 Neurological disorders: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 12 Cognitive decline and dementia in older adults: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 13 Mental health of older adults
- Section 14 Management of common medical conditions: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 15 Palliative medicine and end-of-life care
- Section 16 Healthy ageing
(p. 159) Communication
- Chapter:
- (p. 159) Communication
- Author(s):
Rebecca Allwood
and Rowan H. Harwood
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780198701590.003.0021
July 29, 2020: This chapter has been re-evaluated and remains up-to-date. No changes have been necessary.
Communication is part of everyday experience, and may be overlooked as a professional skill. However, it is central to healthcare practice. Working with older people can challenge our ability to communicate because of speech, sensory, and cognitive changes related to age or disease, environment, relationships, or social factors. The means our mechanisms of communication must be understood, and problems addressed, in order to enable adequate communication. Multiple sources (such as family members or professional staff) may need to be approached to ascertain full information, and to engage and include important stakeholders in a person’s care. Communication is required in making diagnoses, understanding problems, giving information, including imparting distressing news, delivering care, making decisions, and defusing conflict. Approaching these situations in the right way can improve the experience for patients and their families, maximize satisfaction with the consultation, and improve clinical outcomes.
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- Section 1 Ageing population and policy
- Section 2 Key concepts in care of older adults
- Chapter 14 A life course approach for understanding later life sustainability
- Chapter 15 Ageing, multimorbidity, and daily functioning
- Chapter 16 Comprehensive geriatric assessment: evidence
- Chapter 17 Comprehensive geriatric assessment
- Chapter 18 Engaging older patients in their treatment and care
- Chapter 19 Models of healthcare for older people
- Chapter 20 History taking and physical examination
- Chapter 21 Communication
- Chapter 22 Interprofessional team building and case management
- Chapter 23 Age-friendly environments and their role in supporting Healthy Ageing
- Chapter 24 Principles of medication management
- Chapter 25 Optimizing pharmacotherapy for older patients
- Chapter 26 Limitations in the evidence for safe and effective medications for older people
- Chapter 27 General principles of recovery and rehabilitation
- Chapter 28 The approach of dying and death, and the mourning process of the survivors
- Chapter 29 Legal and ethical issues in care of older adults
- Section 3 Principles and organization of care
- Section 4 Age-related biological changes, altered physiology, and vulnerability to diseases and chronic conditions
- Section 5 Geriatric syndromes in clinical practice
- Section 6 Nutrition and metabolism
- Section 7 Mobility disorders: prevention, impact, and compensation
- Section 8 Infections in older adults: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 9 Cancer: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 10 Vascular diseases: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 11 Neurological disorders: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 12 Cognitive decline and dementia in older adults: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 13 Mental health of older adults
- Section 14 Management of common medical conditions: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management
- Section 15 Palliative medicine and end-of-life care
- Section 16 Healthy ageing