Baycrest - End of Life Volunteer Manual
44
5. Lack of information and secrecy. Some patients and families
may not wish to discuss certain topics.
Five Tips for Effective Communication
1. Ask open-ended questions that cannot be answered by "yes" or
"no". Give the patient or family member some time to respond
and listen actively.
2. Be comfortable with pauses in the conversation. Pauses may
mean that the patient is thinking about something sensitive or is
tired. Let the silence last. Do not rush in to fill the void.
3. Be yourself. Don't try to be a social worker, counsellor or
therapist. Encourage patients to share stories about their lives
and don't be afraid to respond with humour. Laughter is "the
best medicine" and an important way of coping with threats
and fears.
4. Try not to give advice. Instead, reflect the person's own
thoughts back to him or her. This can help the person look at
the situation in a new way.
5. When you don't know what to say or do, say or do nothing.
Being there and honestly saying you don't know the answer is
more supportive than pat answers.
WHEN THERE'S A COMMUNICATION DISORDER
COMMUNICATING WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS A SPEECH
IMPAIRMENT
Example: Soft speech or unclear speech
General recommendations:
• Ask the nurse what techniques this person uses
• There may be assistive devices such as a voice amplifier
available
• It might be easier for this person to write messages
• Simply asking the person to speak a bit louder or repeat the
message might help
