Skills of Communicating
- Be calm, gentle, matter-of-fact, and relaxed.
- Use humor or gentle teasing. Convincing someone to get out of bed or go to the bathroom is usually easier
if you can make a game or joke of it. Use touch to show that you care, even when your words don't show it or when they are
not understood. Some people may shy away from contact, but most find a gentle touch reassuring.
- Start the communication socially. Trust is more easily established if you practice a balance of getting the
task accomplished and chatting. Try spending a few minutes talking about the ball game, the school activity, family members,
a movie, the family pet, or even the weather.
- Use good eye contact and try to be at eye level. Keep your energy focused upon the individual.
- Keep rate, pitch, and volume of your speech steady and low. Lower pitch and conversational tone are easier
to hear.
- If you are both getting frustrated, it may be a good idea to drop it and try again later. Sometimes a hug
and a change of subject can make you both feel better. Other times you may need to leave the room and calm down.
Even when communication is difficult, set up a signaling system to allow the person with HD to communicate
nonverbally. Make flashcards of specific objects to which they can point.
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Listening Skills
Listen actively. Don't try to do two things at once make listening a priority. If you
do not understand, apologize and ask the person to repeat it.
Repeat back or rephrase what you hear so the person can know what parts you understand and
what parts need to be repeated. Try to focus on one word or phrase that makes sense. Repeat this back to help clarify what
is being said.
Respond to the emotional tone of the communication. You may not understand what is being said, but you
may recognize that it is being said angrily or sadly. Saying, You sound very angry, at least acknowledges the feelings, even
if you cannot decipher the words.
Remember that poor articulation is one of the primary problems caused by HD. The
person is not doing this on purpose and is probably even more frustrated than you. Your calmness and patience will help create
a caring atmosphere that will encourage the person to keep trying.
Praise and encourage all efforts. A simple thank
you or you did a nice job is good.
Create a Message Center
- To reduce confusion and 'he said, she said' disagreements, put routines, appointments, and 'to do' lists
in writing.
- Establish a fairly large message/communication centre in a visible, uncluttered place in the home or residence.
Create the routine in a calendar
format
Keep the information simple, easy to read and to the point, since eye movements may make
reading difficult, the attention span may be short, and a lot of written information may be visually overwhelming and confusing. |
