Elderly People are Not Babies
by When people reach the golden years, they can often be treated like infants by those around them. How so?
When an elderly person is forced by circumstances to go into a nursing home, often they lose their personal identity and this is often displayed by family members and care workers alike. One study showed that baby-talk is frequently used in care homes when communicating with elderly people.
There is a definite tendency to assume that because people are not as active and lively as before, they have somehow reverted to childhood and have to be treated as children would. Even in care homes, staff can be heard raising their voices to their elderly residents, revealing their belief that because they are old, they must also be deaf.
Allow the elderly to maintain their dignity
Another area where the elderly can often be treated like children is when family members and care staff will be having conversations about the senior citizen about their personal affairs in their company, but without ever including them in the conversation.
The elderly need to have their dignity maintained and nothing robs them of their dignity more than hearing relatives and others speaking to them as they would a child. Being old does not mean a person has lost their ability to hear, speak or think. Baby-talk is for babies, not adults who are in their golden years.
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Post CommentR J Grant
On November 14, 2008 at 9:17 am
I agree completely.
But I also think that elderly people have to assert themselves in this area also. I know a few old codgers that will tear someone’s head off if they were talked to like that and forget about talking about them without including them in the conversation.
Personally, I’d rather go die in the woods than go to a nursing home. I don’t think anyone should consider it as long as they still know their own name. If anyone tries to put you in a nursing home because they think you are on your way out, I suggest going out and taking them with you : )
Grant