Cognitive impairments Cognitive impairment is often the greatest worry one may have when working with senior citizens. Some seniors will face declining cognition in the form of dementia, which is a decline in mental ability that impedes normal functioning. Compounding this difficulty, the family may not know (or may not want to admit) that the family member is impaired. ● Reversible dementia : About 10% of dementias stem from untreatable conditions or from medications. An underactive thyroid or vitamin B12 deficiency, for example, can cause symptoms of dementia. Some medications (narcotic pain medications, muscle relaxants) or mixtures of medications can cause confusion, memory loss, and clumsiness. Since many seniors take a variety of pills each day, this problem is not uncommon. Switching or reducing medications, or changing when they are taken, can minimize these effects. ● Irreversible dementia : Although most people associate dementia with Alzheimer’s disease, other conditions can cause it as well. These conditions include strokes, tumors, head trauma, alcoholism, AIDS, and end-stage kidney disease. Additionally, Parkinson’s disease causes dementia in 80% of elderly Parkinson’s patients. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of irreversible dementia. The longer a person lives, the more likely he or she is to develop the condition. It is estimated to affect 30% of persons over 65 years of age and 50% of those over 80 years of age. It is estimated that 48% of those living in a nursing home suffer from Alzheimer’s. Of those, 64% of them are Medicare residents. The only way to confirm an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is by an autopsy, which reveals the nerve tangles in the brain. Alzheimer’s begins with memory loss. A person’s personality may change; a formerly gentle man, for example, may strike out at others. Alzheimer’s sufferers often have trouble hearing: This makes it even harder for them to understand information and to effectively communicate. As the disease progresses, the sufferer loses the ability to remember words, perform familiar tasks, and travel to familiar places. Eventually he or she needs help with activities of daily living, such as eating and dressing; finally, the sufferer can’t walk or speak. When communicating with persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias, follow cues from family members. Ask the individual (or his or her family members) how to make things as clear as possible for the individual: ● Always approach the person from the front, or within his or her line of vision. Don’t suddenly appear. ● Speak in a normal tone; greet the person as you would anyone else. ● Face the customer when speaking to him or her. ● Be respectful of the person’s personal space and notice his or her reaction as you move closer. Maintain a distance of one- to one-and-a-half feet at first; minimize hand movements that approach the other person. ● Avoid a setting with too much sensory stimulation, such as a big room, where many people may be sitting or talking. Avoid noisy or busy areas. ● Maintain eye contact and smile. ● If a person is a pacer, walk alongside him or her as you talk. ● Use a low-pitched, slow speaking voice. ● Ask only one question at a time. ● Repeat key words if the person does not understand at first.
customer. If you as the provider or agent speak in a very low or high voice, consider asking another agent with a differently pitched voice to take over the session. It is important not to assume that the family will explain the information to the senior later. Additionally, individuals who wear hearing aids hear some sounds very loudly but may have trouble hearing ambient noises in the room. Sometimes hearing-impaired individuals hear ringing or hissing noises in the background. Written contracts, even if not required by the state, ensure that a deaf or a hard-of- hearing person can understand and see what he or she is signing. Some strategies to help persons with hearing loss understand what is being said are: ● Speak to the person with hearing loss himself or herself, not to the others in the room. ● Ask the person if he or she has a better ear and sit on that side. ● If someone cannot hear, repeat information clearly and slowly. Don’t shout. Enunciate. Keep sentence speed the same throughout the sentence. Utter the ends of sentences clearly, and keep the pitch the same. ● Arrange the participants in the room so the hearing- impaired customer can see everybody. Don’t turn away from the person you are addressing. Do not speak when your head is turned away or if you are coming into or going out of a room. If you do say something when you are not facing the customer, repeat the statement when you are looking at him or her again. Some hard- of-hearing people recommend touching the person lightly on the shoulder, hand, or arm to attract his or her attention before speaking. ● Do not eat or chew gum while speaking. ● Hold meetings where there is good lighting. ● Minimize background noise. ● Use facial expressions or gestures to give useful clues. ● Reword what you have said, if needed, to clarify. Visual impairment Many elderly people suffer loss of sight due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024), almost 20 million Americans are affected by AMD. Of those affected, 1.49 million Americans are in the late stages of the disease. Symptoms manifest themselves in different ways, varying in form and degree of severity. Sometimes referred to as “legal blindness” or “low vision,” it can result in an inability to see detail or read without assistive technology. If the client repeatedly “does not have her glasses with her,” for example, she may be providing this as an excuse, rather than explaining her degree of disability. Some strategies to help persons with vision loss understand what is being said are: ● Ask how you can help. ● Warn visually disabled consumers about steps or other hazards in front of them. ● Speak in a natural tone. ● Do not speak through a third party; they do not need a translator. ● Describe the room layout and where everyone is in the room. ● Identify yourself and everyone in the room. ● Always address the person and others in the room by name. ● Say when you are leaving the room. ● Indicate when the meeting is at an end. ● Allow the person to take your arm for guidance (do not forcefully guide them).
Page 11
Book Code: FAR0626
EliteLearning.com/Funeral
Powered by FlippingBook