Dealing with all different age groups Knowing a correct way to communicate –Kids –Pre-Teens –Teenagers –Middle Age –Elderly Communicating about certain issues with the different ages that come into the office or that you face while helping them. –Ex: Talking to a teenager about something that could be going on in society would not get them interested to talking to you as well as talking to someone that would be older. They might have more interest in it than a teenager would.

Working with kids you should not talk to them like adults. Using their language and almost making things fun and a game will help them with feeling comfortable to be in the office. Showing them what is going to happen and having fun with it makes it fun for the kids. When working with adults or elderly you should talk slower and encourage them to ask questions if they have any concerns with what is taking place.

Greeting the patient is one of the most important first steps to take. –Proper posture –Smiles –Offering them help Being polite and letting patient talk about why they are there and not interrupting them, and using empathy so the patient sees that you understand and are going to help as much as you can. Letting patients ask questions and receiving the right answers. Talking slower for people who are elder can help them understand much easier. Looking at the other person at eye level.

Using your words in the correct way and not over expressing the way you communicate to the other person can help with discomfort and making them feel nervous or anxious. When the patient is worried about a problem they are having talking to them and assuring them they will get the correct help; could help them calm down and getting them the care. If the patient was upset and shook up about it, and you were talking to them about all of the bad things it would possibly just make the situation worse for the patient, but letting them know you are going to relay the message and help them could make them feel better about their situation. Using the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and always referring to that can help a person communicate better. I have found that this is a great way of showing how communication works. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

There are many times a person uses nonverbal communication and would not even know it. When the opposite person sees this they could possibly feel like they are not being listened to or that you don’t want to communicate with them. Using nonverbal communication in the wrong ways could be –Shrugging shoulders –Moving away from other person –Moving eyes showing you don’t care –Posture –Any facial expressions

Beliefs Values Ways of communication Perceptions about their feelings Cultures –Knowing some important facts and information about cultures that could be brought up in a conversation

Hearing is physiological thing that is used when sound waves hit the eardrums. Putting yourself in the present moment so that the thoughts that might be in your head are no longer there are you are listening to everything being said. Listening is more complex than simply hearing. Listening is hearing, selecting and organizing the information and responding and remembering what information was said. Taking notes can help with remembering everything that is needed to be looked at. Having those notes there will refresh your memory and help with covering all of the areas.

Selective listening could be a very big part of a conversation that a person could get stuck on. I think this could be done easily if a patient was explaining their concerns and you stuck to only one concern and not looking at other problems they are discussing. Pseudolistening –Pretending to listen when really we are thinking of many other things than what really is important at that time. Monopolizing –Talking more about ourselves rather than the patient giving their information and caring for them. Mind reading –Attempting to read how a person feels or what they are thinking and adding your opinion could change the feelings they share with you. Letting them open up and share all of the important information can help for a better outcome.

This assignment can help with many different areas in knowing what a person would want to do after graduation. With my degree I could work in many different areas. My personal opinion on deciding what area would work best for a person is talking to people that are in that field. Asking them questions about what they do on a every day, what situations come there way, do they work with children more than adults or vise versa. Asking questions can help with many decisions that people can have about the field they are going into. Being able to communicate in the proper way is going to take time to get use to and could be hard for some people. After talking to people I think elderly people could be the hardest to work with. Talking to elderly people before getting into the field can help me with being able to do that on a daily basis. The one important thing I will always remember is looking into the details and also trying it out and if I didn’t like it I could always switch and try something new. There are many opportunities out there for people who enjoy many different things.