ABSTRACT: During this educational and entertaining presentation, Charly addresses communication and its effect on geriatric patients - persons who are often terrified and in pain, persons who are often older than us and divinely disinterested in making new friends or going to the hospital!

This presentation provides valuable information for all Prehospital and Emergency Department care providers.

Charly's Geriatric Communication topics include:

• Death & The Hospital - the importance of helping the geriatric patient understand that going to the Emergency Department isn't a "death sentence," and how to communicate this fact.
• Getting "down" to it - body language from a senior's point of view.
• Who's in charge? Elderly patients have a right to respect and a sense of control over their situation - in spite of what we are going to do to and with them!
• The "O-word" and how it hurts more than helps.
• The "Magic Words" of emergency medicine - words that soothe, reassure, help, and heal.
• "How Old are you?" vs. "How Young are you?" - words and phrases that enhance a geriatric patient's anticipation of a positive outcome or prognosis.
• "Am I Going To Die?" - the Big Question, and how to answer it.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After attending this presentation, participants will:

1. recognize a geriatric patient's natural (and too-often realistic) fears of going to the hospital, and the advantage of identifying a trip to the ED as being a trip to a "check-up"!!!
2. understand the importance of body language, and how geriatric patients often interpret an emergency care provider's body positioning and movements.
3. recognize the senior patient's right to (and need for) respect and a sense of "control" over their environment and situation, and how to provide these things for the geriatric patient without compromising patient care.
4. develop an understanding of how (and why) providers "lie" to patients when using the word, "Okay," and how to conquer this nasty habit by replacing the "O-word" with the "magic words" of emergency medicine (words that soothe, reassure, help, and heal):
   "Please," "Good," and "Thank you!"
5. recognize the importance of - and use - specific words and phrases that enhance a geriatric patient's anticipation of a positive outcome or prognosis.
6. understand the fears patients have regarding death, and recognize situations that benefit from argument against death, or soothing counsel to accept death.

Frequently updated and expanded Half-Day and Full-Day Workshops
including ALL Patient Communication subjects are also available!

1. INTRODUCTION:
   Subject importance, and Objectives identification.

2. Definition of the terms "Geriatric," the "Elderly," an "Elder," and a "Senior."

3. Discussion of "Function & Freedom losses" related to aging, and how they effect elderly patients.

4. Geriatric Patient "Greatest Fears":
   
   • Loosing control of your bodily functions
     
   • Getting put in a "nursing home"
     
   • Being alone
     
   • Death

5. The Secret to Success when dealing with emergency patients, especially Seniors:
   Restore The Patient's Sense of Control.
   
   • Introductions
     
   • Names: How to obtain them, how to use them.

6. "How Old are you?" vs. "How Young are you?"
   Words and phrases that enhance a geriatric patient's anticipation of a positive outcome or prognosis - including the use of Humor.

7. Getting "down" to it - body language from a senior's point of view.
   
   • When the patient is sitting
     
   • When the patient is on the floor
     
   • When the patient is on the wheeled stretcher

8. Pace of Activities and how it effects elderly patients.

9. Who's in charge? Elderly patients have a right to respect and a sense of control over their situation - in spite of what we are going to do to and with them!

10. Control-Restoring GOLDEN RULE #1) Ask patients, as often as possible, whether or not they would like you to do something - or ask their permission to do things. Even "simple" things!

11. Control-Restoring GOLDEN RULE #2) Never, ever, ask a patient's permission to do something when you care about what they answer! If you know you need to do something, do NOT solicit the patient's opinion of, or permission for, doing it.

12. Examples of using the two GOLDEN RULES.

13. "Option" Examples, and how they can sometimes assist diagnosis.

14. Death & The Hospital - the importance of helping the geriatric patient understand that going to the emergency department isn't a "death sentence."

15. Words and Phrases that eliminate or alleviate the patient's fear of going to the hospital.

16. The "O-word" ("OKAY") and why using it hurts more than it helps.

17. Alternatives to using the "O-word."

18. The "Magic Words" of emergency medicine
    Words that soothe, reassure, help, and heal.
    
    • Please
      
    • Good
      
    • Thank You.

19. Opportunites to use the Magic Words.

20. "Am I Going To Die?" - the Big Question, and how to answer it.

21. SUMMARY

Email Charly at: c-d-miller@neb.rr.com
Those are hyphens/dashes between the "c" and "d" and "miller"