Nonverbal Communication between Patients with Dementia and Their Nurses in an Elderly Care Institution

Yi, Myungsun

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to describe nonverbal behaviors of nurses in communication with patients with dementia in an elderly care institution in Korea.
METHODS
Conversation analysis was utilized to analyze the data which were collected using video camera to capture non-verbal as well as verbal behaviors. A total of 66 episodes of everyday conversations were analyzed using seven nonverbal categories: affirmative head nodding; illustrative gestures; patient-directed eye gaze; smiling and/or laughing; forward leaning; affective touch; and instrumental touch.
RESULTS
Among seven categories, patient-directed eye gaze(94%) was the most frequently utilized among nurses followed by affirmative head nodding(67%) and forward leaning(67%), while smiling was the least used(32%). Affective touch was identified in 39 episodes(59%). Among them, the most frequently touched area was hand or handshaking(59%) followed by shoulder or back, arm, and face. There were wide differences among nurses in terms of using affective touch, ranging from 0% to 98%. Nonverbal behaviors were more frequently identified in effective episodes than in ineffective episodes.
CONCLUSION
Actively utilizing effective nonverbal behaviors may help geriatric nurses in promoting communication and in establishing rapport with patients with dementia.