Matthew Walker
Barriers to communication
I will be working with a 90 year old man with dementia as his key worker. His name is Ernie, he has
just gone into residential care and I will be welcoming him and reviewing his care plan with him in a
meeting. I will be explaining the barriers of communication while interacting with Ernie and how to
overcome them.
When I’m talking to Ernie I will not be using patronising language towards him. Patronising language
is when you speak down to someone and make you sound like you’re above them. E.g. I will not be
calling him dear, love or darling I will be calling him by the name he wanted me to call him which is
Ernie. This would be a barrier to communication because he might feel like I’m treating him like a
kid if I speak down to him. To overcome this I will have a calm tone while speaking to him and staff
training so staff members know how to communicate with residents of the care home including
Ernie.
When I interact with Ernie I must not be tired. If I’m tired during a meeting with Ernie I may yawn
and that may look like I’m not interested but I’m just tired and then he may not want to carry on
speaking to me and not open up to questions or problems he has. To overcome this I will adapt the
environment but letting in fresh air and natural lighting but I will also get enough sleep for the day
ahead to make sure I’m not tired.
When I’m in a meeting with Ernie I will not use inappropriate body language. Inappropriate body
language looks like: leaning on a walls, not making eye contact, slouching, legs crossed and arms
folded. This could be a barrier because if I used inappropriate body language during a meeting then I
will look rude and not approachable to talk to. To overcome this I would have staff training to make
sure when know the correct body language to do.
I would also not be using inappropriate use of language. Inappropriate use of language is using
technical terms or jargon. For example if I say “you have MRSA” but not explain it I may confuse
Ernie. As well if I swore in front of Ernie he might feel offended or think I’m non-professional. This
would be a barrier because Ernie could have mixed emotions and if he didn’t understand what I
meant he may get worried or panic. The way I would have overcome this is by using a calm tone and
have staff training so staff members know how to correctly speak to a service user.
When I interact with Ernie I wouldn’t be aggressive towards him. E.g. using an aggressive tone while
speaking to them. Physically being aggressive with Ernie pushing or aggressively get him changed. If I
was aggressive towards Ernie he might feel unwanted or not cared for and just an object not a
human. Ernie’s type of dementia makes him get angry quite easily so if he was to get aggressive with
me I would use a calm tone to calm him down and relax.
When I speak to Ernie I will need to consider speech difficulties. Ernie may find it hard to talk he may
not use correct words or slur he words while speaking so I would use staff training so people know
how to understand and deal with service users if they have trouble speaking.
Barriers to communication
I will be working with a 90 year old man with dementia as his key worker. His name is Ernie, he has
just gone into residential care and I will be welcoming him and reviewing his care plan with him in a
meeting. I will be explaining the barriers of communication while interacting with Ernie and how to
overcome them.
When I’m talking to Ernie I will not be using patronising language towards him. Patronising language
is when you speak down to someone and make you sound like you’re above them. E.g. I will not be
calling him dear, love or darling I will be calling him by the name he wanted me to call him which is
Ernie. This would be a barrier to communication because he might feel like I’m treating him like a
kid if I speak down to him. To overcome this I will have a calm tone while speaking to him and staff
training so staff members know how to communicate with residents of the care home including
Ernie.
When I interact with Ernie I must not be tired. If I’m tired during a meeting with Ernie I may yawn
and that may look like I’m not interested but I’m just tired and then he may not want to carry on
speaking to me and not open up to questions or problems he has. To overcome this I will adapt the
environment but letting in fresh air and natural lighting but I will also get enough sleep for the day
ahead to make sure I’m not tired.
When I’m in a meeting with Ernie I will not use inappropriate body language. Inappropriate body
language looks like: leaning on a walls, not making eye contact, slouching, legs crossed and arms
folded. This could be a barrier because if I used inappropriate body language during a meeting then I
will look rude and not approachable to talk to. To overcome this I would have staff training to make
sure when know the correct body language to do.
I would also not be using inappropriate use of language. Inappropriate use of language is using
technical terms or jargon. For example if I say “you have MRSA” but not explain it I may confuse
Ernie. As well if I swore in front of Ernie he might feel offended or think I’m non-professional. This
would be a barrier because Ernie could have mixed emotions and if he didn’t understand what I
meant he may get worried or panic. The way I would have overcome this is by using a calm tone and
have staff training so staff members know how to correctly speak to a service user.
When I interact with Ernie I wouldn’t be aggressive towards him. E.g. using an aggressive tone while
speaking to them. Physically being aggressive with Ernie pushing or aggressively get him changed. If I
was aggressive towards Ernie he might feel unwanted or not cared for and just an object not a
human. Ernie’s type of dementia makes him get angry quite easily so if he was to get aggressive with
me I would use a calm tone to calm him down and relax.
When I speak to Ernie I will need to consider speech difficulties. Ernie may find it hard to talk he may
not use correct words or slur he words while speaking so I would use staff training so people know
how to understand and deal with service users if they have trouble speaking.
