How to Talk to Your Loved Ones in Auburn, NH, and the Surrounding Area

Elderspeak is quite simply baby talk for the elderly. It occurs when people speak very slowly and loudly in an attempt to make sure older people can understand them, much how you would speak to an infant who has not learned to speak yet. However, seniors are not infants at all and have been fully functional communicators for many years. The tone can be condescending, disrespectful, and potentially foster animosity for seniors who hear it.

The characteristics include:

Slow and deliberate speech patterns
Oversimplified grammar and word choice
Assumption of weakness

Many senior citizens have to endure this treatment every day despite being able to communicate normally. This type of demeaning communication can be detrimental to their physical and mental health.

Visiting Angels of Auburn Explains Where Elderspeak Comes From

Without thinking we often automatically adjust our speech patterns depending on who we are talking to. Younger people often assume that older people have hearing issues and therefore speak louder and slower to help them understand.

While young people speaking like this may have good intentions, they are often subconsciously judging their elders prematurely about their mental capacity to communicate.

Why It Is Harmful

While those who use elderspeak are attempting to help elders understand and communicate with them better it turns out that these techniques decrease comprehension. Older people simply want our respect and to be treated and addressed as equals instead of being talked to like children. Negative effects can include:

Depression
Resentment
Low self-esteem
Embarrassment
Loneliness

This can foster resentment and often lead to some refusing to cooperate with their caregivers. Baby talk can be seen as a painful attack on their dignity and mental ability.

Alternatives Methods to Speaking to Elders

Visiting Angels of Auburn offers some helpful alternative methods to elderspeak:

Always speak and address elders respectfully
Never “dumb down” the ideas you are trying to express
Emphasize the main points you wish to communicate by repeating them a few times if needed
Speak honestly and communicate information directly
For those who are hard of hearing you should speak louder but never change the inflection of your voice
Always attempt to use regular words first before rephrasing with simpler ones

Schedule your FREE, In-Home Assessment Today

Schedule your FREE, in-home assessment today by contacting Visiting Angels of Auburn at 603-483-8999, we will be happy to go over how our elderly care services can help.