Respectful+Support

=Respectful Support=

[|Elderly Care Secrets] **"The Most Hidden Golden Rule Of Caring For The Elderly Revealed"**

If you are caring for the elderly at your own home, retirement home or as primary caregiver you already know that it can be difficult. It can be very stressful especially in certain situations and it is important to know how to react. On the other hand it can be extremely rewarding and nothing can replace the feeling that you get when you help care for somebody. No matter if you are a professional caregiver or you are taking care of your parents. You should at least know a few basic things that are very important. There are two old golden rules that you have always to follow... **First rule -** build some kind of friendship which will make your long term working relationship with them so much happier and less stressful. **Second rule** - always established a routine and never underestimate its power. Routines are essential when you are trying to established a connection with a person under your care. A specific routine can give your senior an immense sense of comfort, as well as making your life much easier. Before you start establishing a daily routine, you will need to find out as much as you can about the individual under your care. This is easy with your parents and other person you are related too in some way, but it can be difficult if you are caring for a complete stranger. Of course there is a lot more than just two simple rules. You have to learn much more. But, if you follow these two rules your care giving "job" will be much easier. You have to build strong friendships with them and they will give to you more then you are giving to them. Elderly care is not just your job. It is much more. If you look at it as just a "J-O-B" you will be in for trouble soon and your work with the elderly will be nightmare.

When you start working with the elderly you have to know what you are doing in detail. The frustration of not knowing what is going on in your own world can be extremely upsetting, but having the right knowledge can help to avoid it.

It will also give seniors a sense that they have some sort of control over their lives and this can be used effectively by caregivers. Sometimes it can take weeks or months to build up an effective relationship and routine, but once it is in place, you will have a great foundation to build on.

Elderly care is not hard job at all, if you learn the basics and if you have established strong friendship with your elderly patient. You will lower your stress and it will be worth the effort. When this happen both you and your patient will be the happiest persons in the world and you will enjoy every moment. Both the caregiver and care receiver will fully appreciate it. To make this process easier we have put together this website to help you on your journey. You will learn what you will need to know about elderly care. You will learn both basic and advanced techniques here. Don't worry, you are not alone. Our staff has been doing it with great pleasure for more than 25 years and we will share everything with you. This website is dedicated to your success in elderly care.

**General Guidelines for Talking about Disability**
 * Refer to a person's disability only when it is related to what you are talking about. For example, don't ask "What's wrong with you?" Don't refer to people in general or generic terms such as "the girl in the wheelchair."
 * When talking about places with accommodations for people with disabilities, use the term "accessible" rather than "disabled" or "handicapped." For example, refer to an "accessible" parking space rather than a "disabled" or "handicapped" parking space or "an accessible bathroom stall" rather than "a handicapped bathroom stall."
 * Use the term "disability," and take the following terms out of your vocabulary when talking about or talking to people with disabilities. Don't use the terms "handicapped," "differently-abled," "cripple," "crippled," "victim," "retarded," "stricken," "poor," "unfortunate," or "special needs."
 * Just because someone has a disability, it doesn't mean he/she is "courageous," "brave," "special," or "superhuman." People with disabilities are the same as everyone else. It is not unusual for someone with a disability to have talents, skills, and abilities.
 * It is okay to use words or phrases such as "disabled," "disability," or "people with disabilities" when talking about disability issues. Ask the people you are with which term they prefer if they have a disability.
 * When talking about people without disabilities, it is okay to say "people without disabilities." But do not refer to them as "normal" or "healthy." These terms can make people with disabilities feel as though there is something wrong with them and that they are "abnormal."
 * When in doubt, call a person with a disability by his/her name.

Working with people who don’t speak English

1 **Speak clearly and pronounce your words correctly**. Exaggerated pronunciations will not help your listener and may cause more confusion. However, you may find that it helps to pronounce some words as the non-native speaker does. This will be especially true if the proper pronunciation is very different from the non-native pronunciation. 2

**Recognize that people wrongly think that turning up the volume somehow creates instant understanding**. Avoid this common mistake (however, do not speak too quietly). 3

**Do not cover or hide your mouth because listeners will want to watch you as you pronounce your words**. This helps them figure out what you are saying in many cases. 4

**Do not use baby talk or incorrect English**. This does not make you easier to understand. It will confuse your listener and may give the wrong impression about your own level of competence. 5

**Avoid running words together ( Do-ya wanna eat-a-pizza**?). One of the biggest challenges for listeners is knowing where one word ends and the next one begins. Give them a small pause between words if they seem to be struggling. 6

**When possible, opt for simple words instead of ones that are complex**. The more basic a word is, the better the chance is that it will be understood. ("Big" is a better choice than "enormous" for example. "Make" is a better choice than "manufacture.") However, with a Romance language speaker (i.e. Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian), these 'complex' words can be useful as they are rooted in Latin. 7

**Avoid verb phrases that sound very similar to non-native English speaker**. "Look out" sounds very close to "look for." Both are similar to "look out for." Many times you can use another word in these cases. (Example: look out = be careful, look for = search for, look out for = watch for). 8

**As much as possible, avoid using filler and colloquialisms ('um**...', 'like...','Yeah, totally.') as non-native speakers, especially ones of lower proficiency levels, may get hung up on these thinking the filler language is vocabulary that they don't possess. Colloquialisms are likely to be unknown as well, especially if they are not easy to find in the dictionary. 9

**If asked to repeat something, first repeat it as you said it the first time**. Then again. It could be that they simply didn't hear you. If your listener still doesn't understand, however, change a few key words in the sentence. It may be that they couldn't understand one or two of the words. Also repeat the whole sentence and not just the last couple of words. It's time consuming, but it helps prevent confusion. 10

**Consider the fact that your dialect may not be what the other person has learned in school**. For example, most non-Americans expect the second t in the word "twenty" to be pronounced. 11

**Paraphrase**. if you happen to know a similar word to the word you are searching for then use it. As your knowledge of the foreign language builds this becomes even easier. 12

**Avoid using contractions or short forms**. Use long forms. “Can’t” is one word you must use the long form with. It is difficult for a non-native speaker to understand the difference between “can” and “can’t” in a sentence. For example, “I can’t take you on Friday” and “I can take you on Friday”. Use the long form, “cannot”. “I cannot take you on Friday”. 13

**Decrease the use of words that fill your sentences**. The idea is to remove the “noise” from your speech. Imagine trying to listen to the radio with two young children in the same room. They are playing and screaming. What is the result? "Family of...car...on vacation...in Arizona." If your oral communication is filled with "um", "like", "you know", or other fillers, comprehension is more difficult. “Right” is a word that commonly fills conversations. I prefer to use “Yes, that is correct”. A non-native speaker may not understand “right” and confuse it with its opposite, “left”. 14

**Be explicit**: Say “Yes” or “No”. Do not say: “Uh-huh” or “Uh-uh”. Those words are not in grammar books! 15

**Listen and try not to form your response while the other person is talking**. Wait until the person is done so that you can clarify if needed and give correct information based on all they have said. 16

**Be aware that other cultures have different standards regarding touching, eye contact and personal space**. Someone standing too close or not looking you in the eye is merely following their own cultural standard and not trying to offend. 17

**Be patient and smile**. The more relaxed you are, the more you are in control of your communication. Do not give a busy lifestyle or a meeting agenda permission to control your speech. Think as you speak and do not speak as you think.

**Tips**
 * 1) If you are having problems with verbal communication, try drawing an object on paper.
 * 2) If the other person did not understand what you said repeat it as you said it the first time
 * 3) If you have failed with a sentence, reflect on that sentence (did you unconsciously use a distracting metaphor, a colloquialism, conjunctions?). Try again with a new, simpler sentence free of complex language.
 * 4) Keep a good attitude and be friendly. Impatience will inhibit your ability to communicate and can alienate your listener.
 * 5) Making Requests: Even though you might be tempted to speak politely with indirect questions (ie. Would it be possible to..? I was wondering if you could..? If you wouldn't mind terribly to..? etc.), it is best to avoid as many unnecessary collocations as possible. A simple "can you X or Is it Y - followed with a universal "please" and "thank you" should do the trick.
 * 6) There is a nuance to not using big words: when speaking to a person who speaks a Western European language, the big words in English are more likely to be words that already exist in that person's language, so sometimes you might have more luck with the big words than the small ones.
 * 7) Speak a little slower than normal. It takes more time to parse a foreign language; give your listener that time. This goes along with being patient and articulating clearly.
 * 8) Make many more gestures than normal when speaking. Often it's possible to understand just by catching a couple of words and seeing the gestures.
 * 9) Write things down. It's sometimes easier to understand written language than spoken language.
 * 10) Get used to not understanding everything. Take guesses at what someone said in another language, unless it's important that you understand the details, e.g. buying a train ticket, doctors office, etc. For most daily situations, you can just guess, and the situation will work out. Of course some misunderstandings will result, but accept it and move on.
 * 11) If the person is new to English, keep in mind that on a certain level he will be "translating" his language to yours. His English words and expressions are influenced by his mother tongue, so things that might sound impolite to you are not always meant in that way. For example, a plain "No" might seem too blunt, whereas "I don't agree," if said politely, keeps open the door of communication. Try to listen "between the lines" before judging the other speaker's attitude.
 * 12) If you are still unable to communicate by any other means, try speaking even - more - slowly and even more distinctly to your listener (especially if you know you tend to mumble).
 * 13) Pocket electronic translators are the size of a calculator, can cost under $20 (check [|[1]] and Sort low to high price), and translate common words and phrases. You can type in English, they can type in their language (with some challenge, since it's an English keyboard). Printed pocket sized two-language dictionaries are inexpensive.
 * 14) If all else fails, try finding another language that you are both comfortable with. For example, if the person you are speaking to is German, but is more fluent in French than in English (and your French is better than your German), you might have more success.

**Warnings**
 * 1) Don't agree to anything unless you are certain that you have communicated effectively. This could potentially be a serious issue. For example, if someone is asking which way to the hospital, you don't want to give them the wrong information.
 * 2) Sometimes good communication means knowing when your skills are inadequate for a situation that demands precise communication. In these cases you will want a translator. For example, you wouldn't want to inadvertently send someone to wait in the wrong 3-hour line in a government office.
 * 3) Avoid touching listeners from some cultures. Even if you want to nudge them in the right direction or encourage them with a friendly pat on the back, your gesture may be misinterpreted. Many cultures view personal contact very differently and your friendly touch could be seen as aggressive or overly familiar.
 * 4) Unless you have been asked otherwise, avoid the temptation to correct your listener. Taking time to make corrections is useful if they have come to you asking for your help with their language skills, but otherwise it will slow down your communication and may cause your listener to feel self-conscious. Correction may also create a "teacher-student" relationship between you and the non-native speaker.
 * 5) If you have a very heavy accent yourself (or one they are unfamiliar with) write the word down. Many non-English speakers actually have very good vocabulary and grammar basics, but the different accent can make things harder to understand.
 * 6) When there are words that sound the same but are spelled differently, write the word down to avoid confusion: 'bear' and 'bare' for example. If those two words are pronounced slightly differently in your accent, mention this.
 * 7) When it comes to words that mean different things across different contexts, use a different word. Use 'final' and 'previous' instead of 'last', which can mean both. And explain the context of other people's usage of 'last' only when he/she can't work it out.