Communication and Interpersonal Skills
What you must know
Communication is how care actually gets delivered. Use plain words rather than jargon, face the resident, keep your tone and body language consistent with your words, and listen without interrupting. Ask open questions ('How are you feeling this morning?') and allow silence for the answer.
Adapt to the person. With hearing loss, get attention, stand in good light facing the resident, speak clearly at a slightly lower pitch - shouting distorts sound - and never cover your mouth. With aphasia, ask yes-or-no questions, allow time, and do not finish sentences for the resident. With vision loss, identify yourself and describe what you are about to do. With confusion or dementia, give one short instruction at a time.
Report facts, not conclusions. 'Mr. K ate about a quarter of his breakfast and turned his head away from fluids' is reportable; 'Mr. K is being difficult' is not. Documentation is your legal record - write at the time of care, be specific, sign it, and correct errors with a single line, your initials, and the date. Never erase or use correction fluid.
Confidentiality: discuss residents only with the care team, never in hallways, elevators, or on social media. Do not make promises you cannot keep, and never tell a dying resident 'I'll be right back.'
Traps
- Subjective versus objective: 'He seems sad' is an observation to pass to the nurse, not a diagnosis.
- Do not give opinions about a resident's condition or prognosis to family members.
Worked example
A resident says, 'The food here is garbage and nobody cares.' Rather than arguing, reflect and clarify: 'It sounds like you're really unhappy with meals. Can you tell me what went wrong today?' Then report the concern to the nurse.