Communication with older adults becoming harder? Family members can try a different way of listening
Communication difficulties may appear suddenly, or may gradually worsen. Family members can pause and try a different approach: a quiet environment, a normal volume, and observing facial expressions and gestures. When you do not understand, do not pretend to understand, and do not speak for the older person. These suggestions come from UK NHS materials, for everyday reference only; specific situations require consultation with a doctor.
Machine translation of our Chinese article, without human translation review. Suggestions concerning China remain specific to China.
Automatically reviewed, without human verification. Programmatic checks are not professional review. Seek professional advice where appropriate. Automatically reviewed on 10/4/2026, 7:14:25 AM
Chinese fact summaries and suggestions for China (not a full translation)
Original: How to care for someone with communication difficulties - Social care and support guide - NHS · Original language: en
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Facts from the sources
Communication problems may develop gradually or happen overnight; if they appear suddenly, caregivers need to reassess the way they communicate with the person. View source
When communicating with someone recovering from a stroke, caregivers can give the person their full attention, avoid background distractions, try to speak clearly at a normal volume, and pay attention to non-verbal responses. View source
When communicating with a person with communication difficulties, caregivers should not pretend they have understood the person, nor speak on the person's behalf. View source
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices are often used by people with speech problems, including people with autism, learning disabilities, cerebral palsy, or deafblindness. View source
British Sign Language (BSL) is the sign language used by deaf people in the UK, using hand gestures, fingerspelling, lip patterns, and facial expressions. View source
Some deafblind people prefer to use tactile sign language, such as the deafblind manual alphabet and the Block method, which communicate by spelling out on the hand. View source
For older people and families
If an older person suddenly finds it harder to speak, you need to switch to a different way of communicating; do not keep using the old methods.
When speaking with an older person recovering from a stroke, first turn off the television and radio to reduce background noise.
Speak at a normal volume, a little more clearly; there is no need to shout.
Pay close attention to the older person's facial expressions, gestures and eye contact; these are also answers.
When you do not understand, do not pretend you understood, and do not finish the older person's sentence for them.
Give the older person enough time, wait patiently, and do not rush them.
If the older person has a long-term speech problem, you can ask about assistive communication devices, but you must first have a professional assessment.
No matter how difficult communication is, do not reduce interaction; patience and respect matter most.
See what care and community teams can do
Train care staff to recognise situations where communication difficulties appear suddenly, and adjust care plans promptly.
Arrange a quiet, low-distraction communication environment for older adults recovering from stroke, and record the communication methods that work for them.
Establish a communication norm of "do not pretend to understand, do not answer on their behalf", and encourage care workers to confirm the older person's actual intent.
Before introducing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools, a professional such as a speech and language therapist must conduct an assessment.
For older people with hearing impairment or deafblindness, first understand their personal preferences, then consider sign language or tactile sign language support. In mainland China, Chinese Sign Language is used; British Sign Language cannot be directly applied.
If an older person's communication ability suddenly declines, the care institution should promptly refer them for medical assessment to rule out acute conditions such as stroke.
Include non-verbal responses (nodding, eye contact, gestures) in routine care records as a basis for communication.
Provide communication skills training to care workers to avoid reducing interaction with older people because of communication frustration.
What needs local assessment
The above content is based on the UK NHS webpage (reviewed April 2024), compiled only for understanding care approaches, and does not represent current practice in mainland China. Communication problems may be caused by many diseases; if they appear suddenly, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Augmentative and alternative communication devices, speech assessments, sign language services, etc. must be consulted with professionals in mainland China; foreign systems cannot be directly copied. This content does not constitute a diagnosis or treatment plan. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Information from the NHS website is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. This article is an independent Chinese-language compilation and commentary by this website, and is not an official NHS translation or content approved by it. Licence: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
Sources
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