"Elderspeak": an Insightful Exploration of a Pernicious Style

[jesse_the_k]

This comes from the useful and accessible VisionAware site. Although it's aimed at folks who are beginning to deal with vision loss, this essay applies to all of us, since we're either elders or speakers-to-elders.

What's So Wrong with "Elderspeak," Anyway? Answer: Everything by Maureen Duffy

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In addition to being annoying, infantilizing, disrespectful, and demeaning, elderspeak can have additional—and far more serious—deleterious effects as well. Doctors Ruth Herman and Kristine L. Williams from the University of Kansas School of Nursing explored the effects of elderspeak in the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias.

Their study, entitled Elderspeak's Influence on Resistiveness to Care: Focus on Behavioral Events, concluded that:

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Resistiveness to care in older adults with dementia commonly disrupts nursing care. Research has found that elderspeak (infantilizing communication) use by nursing home staff increases the probability of resistiveness to care in older adults with dementia.

We found that older adults with dementia most frequently reacted to elderspeak communication by negative vocalizations (screaming or yelling, negative verbalizations, crying).

Because negative vocalizations disrupt nursing care, reduction in elderspeak use by staff may reduce these behaviors, thereby increasing the quality of care to these residents.

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Closely aligned with the issues surrounding elderspeak is "andragogy," also called adult learning theory: the art and science of teaching adults. Dr. Malcolm S. Knowles (1913-1997), widely considered to be the "Father of Andragogy" in the United States, wrote extensively about how adults learn and the differences between adult and child learning.

One of his sharpest observations regarding the teaching of adults and older adults is also one that took me many years to truly comprehend: "Most teachers of adults have only known how to teach adults as if they were children. Most of what is known about teaching has been derived from experience with teaching children under conditions of compulsory attendance."

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I so wish to transplant this understanding into the minds of all the folks who care for MyGuy's mom, age 92. She worked so hard for the dignity of women, and now she's spoken to like a four year old.

Comments

[isis]

Great link, thanks for sharing.

[jesse_the_k]

My pleasure.

[capri0mni]

In other words:

If you speak to people in a demeaning, insulting way, they are going to get angry and upset, and let you know.

Gee, what a radical concept!

[jesse_the_k]

I know, right?

Bet more than half-a-dozen people were paid real cash money to come up with this conclusion.

[capri0mni]

I've often wondered where this urge toward hypocorisma (love learning new words!) comes from, in the first place. Now, I'd fundraise for real cash money to find that out... especially if the discovery leads to prevention.

...It's definitely not just "elder"speak. It's really "Disability-Speak," and elderly folk just happen to be disabled more often, thanks to living long enough for more sh** to happen to them, and to have survived it.

[lilysea]

I wish people would stop talking to *me* like a four year old, just because I use a powerwheelchair.

Offenders include: shop assistants, nurses, healthcare staff, receptionists, and the general public.

[luzula]

Thanks, this was interesting! The only time I've been on the receiving end of something like this is when I couldn't speak for a week due to throat issues, and people treated me like I also couldn't understand/hear what they were saying (they spoke loudly/slowly to me). ETA: I think it made me more wary of doing something like that myself to others. But it's difficult when you don't know if the person you're speaking to can understand you--like, my grandmother died of Alzheimer's, and towards the end she didn't respond at all when I spoke to her. I tried to keep talking like she could understand me, and maybe she could to some extent. But it's hard to know. Relatedly, I find it hard to talk to babies for the same reason--I have no idea how much they can understand me, and I feel weird doing the sort of baby-speak that a lot of people do. Then again, I'm not very used to babies. OTOH, I have no difficulties at all in talking to cats and dogs, maybe because I'm used to it.

Then again, the article seemed to be more about infantilizing older people and being overly familiar/patronizing with them, which is maybe a slightly different issue than not knowing if someone can understand you.

I've only ever taught adults, and I would feel unqualified for teaching children.