COMMUNICATION WITH COGNITIVELY IMPAIRED PATIENTS

Course overview

Communication has been defined as ¿the transmission of information, thoughts, and feelings so that they are satisfactorily received or understood¿. So, one may infer from this statement that in order for communication to be present, there has to be a message sent and that message must be understood; this can present a challenge for both the client (who may have a cognitive deficit) and the clinician who is trying to care for the client. We communicate with patients multiple times a day every day that we care for them. It is vitally important that we be able to convey our messages to them and that they are able to understand the messages that we are trying to deliver to them even though they may have difficulties with their cognitive abilities.