Communication with older people is vital

EVERYTHING about modern living nowadays seems to point towards indirect communication. By ‘ indirect’ it means communication via phone, Messenger and WhatsApp. These are all perfectly fine if you belong to a certain generation. But for older people this concept of communication is alien.

Talking and listening are two of the most important forms of communication we have, and for older people they’re even more important. Loneliness is a common complaint among older people – even for those who have large families. Given the nature of busy lifestyles today we think it’s perfectly okay to make contact through electronic devices - an acceptable form of contact in a fast paced world.

But many older people come from a generation where constant human contact was the norm. Past generations placed a much higher value on face to face contact, so it’s doubly hard for them to grasp what we now consider ‘contact’.

The good news is that the solution couldn’t be simpler: just talk. Make a genuine effort to talk with older people in your life. Shut down phones and physically turn up in front of the person and talk. Even a few minutes conversation with an older person in the day can make a huge difference. Talking regularly also means you are more likely to spot any underlying health issues in older people. Retaining the art of communication with elderly people is important on many levels.