Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this study is to grasp the actual conditions of utterances by elderly persons in geriatric care facilities in Japan. Specifically, the study considers utterance frequency, duration, and structure according to the two types of communication: Type I (Task-oriented) and Type II (Life-worldly). Method: Study subjects were comprised of 37 residents in three long-term care facilities in Japan. The study surveyed the personal attributes of each elderly person, and the type and duration of utterances they made within 1 day. Type I and II communication characteristics were both quantitatively and qualitatively investigated. Results: The duration of utterances from older residents was very short, at about 4 min. The average duration of utterances by elderly persons who are bedridden was 115.54 s (SD=131.55), which was significantly lower (p<0.05) in comparison to the average duration of utterances by elderly persons who are able to walk or move using a wheelchair, which was 331.1 s (SD=234.97). In type II communication, the utterances by the older resident were not limited to short replies to caregiver speech, but were relatively longer and self-initiated utterances were also produced.
Highlights
The number of older persons above the age of 65 requiring care in daily life due to illness or disability in Japan rose to 5,691,000 in 2013 [1]
For older persons in geriatric care facilities, verbal communication is indispensable in establishing and maintaining selfidentity as a member of society [5] and exerts a strong influence on quality of life of older persons living a limited existence [6,7]. It has been noted in previous international studies regarding communication of older persons that, those in nursing are aware of the importance of psychosocial communication, in practice they did not engage patients in social interaction [8]
We demonstrated how the utterance frequency of older residents changed in response to Type II speech through a comparison of the interactional characteristics of Type I and Type II communication
Summary
The number of older persons above the age of 65 requiring care in daily life due to illness or disability in Japan rose to 5,691,000 in 2013 [1]. For older persons in geriatric care facilities, verbal communication is indispensable in establishing and maintaining selfidentity as a member of society [5] and exerts a strong influence on quality of life of older persons living a limited existence [6,7]. It has been noted in previous international studies regarding communication of older persons that, those in nursing are aware of the importance of psychosocial communication, in practice they did not engage patients in social interaction [8]. These problems with communication in geriatric facilities may be at least partly due to the fact that caregivers use communication with older persons as means for carrying out their duties
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