Carers and the Elderly

Essay # 65270

Aging
Medical and Health

A look at the interactional dynamics between professional healthcare providers and the receivers of the care.

1,737 words () | 6 sources | MLA | 2003 United Kingdom

Paper Summary:

A great deal of research has been done into the way the younger generation addresses the elderly. This paper looks into the range of tactics used as well as how the way that a carer communicates with their elderly patient says a great deal about their own personal views and opinions. In particular, it examines how Coupland, N et al (1991) investigate this issue through presenting the theories of Ryan et al.

From the Paper:

"The first of Ryan et al's (cited in Coupland, N et al 1991) strategies which is often chosen by younger people is overaccomodation due to physical or sensory handicaps (Coupland, Coupland and Giles 1991). In this instance the speaker adapts their speech beyond the optimal level, thus showing that they assume the receiver is handicapped in some way. A common example of this is where people speak especially loud to an elderly person. This shows how a majority of the elderly are perceived as having impaired hearing. The main aim of such a strategy is to ensure an effective, interpretable form of communication, however from another perspective such an approach may be seen as patronising and unnecessary."