Webinar: Eliminating Elderspeak through Compassionate Communication

• Advocacy in Long-Term Care
• Heathy Aging

Dr. Maurya D. Cockrell, DHPE, Founder, Leaves Speak Healthcare presents Eliminating Elderspeak through Compassionate Communication. Presented on September 28, 2021

Understanding elderspeak as a type of biased communication is vital to prevent future ageist behavior towards older adult patients and, thus, improve health outcomes. Elderspeak, most commonly found in long-term care settings, has been identified as a growing communication barrier between younger and older generations, especially in healthcare. Effective communication between patients and providers improves trust and adherence to treatment plans. Health communication and cultural sensitivity training are crucial for incoming, young health providers. As clinicians age and retire, they will be replaced by millennials who will need to learn how to navigate intergenerational relationships with their new, older patients.

In this presentation, Dr. Cockrell defines what intergenerational communication is in the context of the six generations living today. She then explores the phenomenon of intergenerational healthcare and the realities we face in the coming decades as the largest portion of our population in the United States surpasses retirement age. In identifying ageism and elderspeak’s role in perpetuating it, Dr. Cockrell compares and contrasts elderspeak with compassionate communication. She ends with an encouraging outlook on the way that compassionate communication can be used to improve health care outcomes.