Understanding elderly's needs

Participants in a role play activity

A workshop called “Effective Communication and Understanding Elderly’s Needs” was organised by UTAR Department of Nursing of Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) at Sunway Medical Centre on 10 December 2018. It saw the participation of 25 staff nurses from various departments.

The aims of the workshop were to share the knowledge on normal physiological changes in ageing population, apply current nursing practice on the five giant “I” domains as well as demonstrate therapeutic communication techniques in geriatric nursing care.

The first talk titled “Geriatric Care- The 5 Giant ‘I’” was presented by FMHS lecturer Choo Peak Yean. The talk focused on aging population and the common issues related to aging, the implications of common issues in nursing and the changes in aging. Choo said, “The implications are the poor quality of life, increased disability, increased hospitalisation and cost as well as increased mortality. It is important to understand the normal and abnormal aging process and to provide a holistic care for the elderly.”

FMHS Department of Nursing Head Liew Siew Fun delivered the second talk titled “Effective communication with elderly”. The talk provided information on the definition of communication and its process, tips on effective communication with elderly and elderly with hearing impairment, visual impairment, and cognitive impairment. “The communication process involves a sender, a message, a receiver and a response. There are also communication barrier such as language, life experience, manner perception and cultural difference. We should also look into alternative and devices to enhance communication. Remember that communication is the vehicle for establishing a therapeutic relationship. Thus, it is important to stay calm and be proactive in seeking alternative ways to communicate with the elderly,” said Liew.

The talk was followed by a video presentation and a group discussion activity where the participants were divided into five groups to experience being an elderly. The participants then used role play to practice effective communication skills and ways to care for the elderly. They included the five giant “I” known as Immobility, Instability, Incontinence, Intellectual impairment and Iatrogenic into the role play.  

 FMHS Department of Nursing Head Liew presenting gift to the best group performance

Choo delivering her talk

Photography session among the Sunway Medical Centre nurses and UTAR lecturers