Communication Essay -- Effective Communication, Barriers

This assignment discusses barriers to, and methods of, effective communication with people who are confused by reflecting on my experience in communicating with an elderly confused patient. Specifically, and within the scope of this assignment, I reflect on two methods of effective communication with elderly confused patients; one verbal (reality orientation) and one non-verbal (touch). During my first placement I was asked to assist in the care of Elsie (pseudonym), an 86 year old lady admitted to hospital with a fracture to her hip and a urinary tract infection (UTI). Elsie was suffering from frequent periodic episodes of confusion; however this was not due to a diagnosed cognitive disorder. Manos and Braun (2006) and Keenan (2011a) say that elderly patients with a bone fracture or a UTI often present with confusion; which is a disorder of brain function (Manos and Braun, 2006). The elderly are more prone to confusion when they are ill because, with increasing age, kidney size and renal blood flow decrease causing a reduction in renal threshold (Keenan, 2011b). When Elsie was in a confused state I found it difficult to interpret what Elsie was trying to communicate to me because her responses to my questions did not make sense. When communicating with Elsie I consciously used the active listening SOLER (Sit square-on, Open posture, Lean forward, Eye contact, Relax) model (Egan, 2010) that I had been taught at University. I used this to show Elsie I was listening and to help me try to understand what Elsie was communicating. I felt frustrated because although I used SOLER, slowed down my normal pace of communication and repeated what I was saying, Elsie’s responses still did not make sense. The National Health Service (NHS, 2... ...aching on a patient’s personal space. I should therefore use a calm reassuring voice with the use of touch. I find it comforting to know that Oliver and Redfern (1991) say that the use of touch is a skill that can be acquired and learnt. Reflecting on my experience communicating with Elsie I have learnt about two communication techniques (reality orientation and the use of touch) that will help me communicate more effectively with an elderly confused patient. I have realised I need to find out more about using expressive touch in communication and the use of other verbal and non-verbal techniques that can help in communicating with elderly confused patients, such as effective use of paralinguistic communication. This will give me greater confidence in communicating with elderly confused patients because I will have additional strategies to bring to the situation.

One Friday Morning Essay

The short story â€Å"One Friday Morning† by Langston Hughes is about a young black girl, Nancy Lee, who recently moved out of the South with her parents so they may provide her with a better life and schooling. Very talented in watercolor painting, she wanted to make that her major in college. Regrettably, there are some people in the world that are just blinded by race and forget how America was supposed to be a place for equal rights without tyranny. Nancy Lee may be a colored girl, but at times in her new school she forgets that she has different skin color than the rest of the students. Her peers would overlook her race as well, and they saw her as a young and talented individual. This represents foreshadowing that she was not seen as colored although she was. Nancy Lee had painted an award winning piece worthy of a scholarship to an art institute. The painting was of her grandmother sitting on a park bench looking at the American flag on a bright sunny day. Unfortunately, the art institute didn’t realize that Nancy Lee was a colored girl at the time they chose her painting. When it was made known, they decided to give the scholarship to a white student as they felt if Nancy Lee were to attend the Institute it would cause controversy amongst others. The day Nancy was to receive the award, she was told by her principal, Miss O’Shay, that she would not acquire this magnificent prize because of the color of her skin. Miss O’Shay regrettably informed the talented girl that â€Å"When the committee learned that you were colored, they changed their plans. † Nancy Lee looked up at her principal and noticed the bright spring day it was outside just like in her painting. At the weekly assembly, Nancy Lee took her seat along with 3000 other students, turned her head, and said the pledge to the flag that is supposed to symbolize freedom and equal rights with â€Å"Liberty and justice for all†. She then decided that even though she was not accepting the award, which was rightfully hers, she would fight to make a difference in the future so no other young girls would go through what she was currently enduring. One gloomy day the principal, Miss O’Shay called Nancy Lee into her office after school. Miss O’Shay made Nancy Lee aware that her painting had won the contest; but also asked her to keep it a secret until the assembly on Friday when she was to accept the award. She was not supposed to tell Nancy Lee, however, Miss O’Shay felt it would be in Nancy Lee’s best interest to know ahead of time so she wouldn’t be taken off guard and could remain composure at the time of the acceptance. The irony in this is that if Miss O’Shay did not tell Nancy Lee of her winning then, on the day of the assembly, Nancy Lee would not have to be called into the office to receive the disturbing news that she would not be called on stage to accept the award because of the color of her skin. Even though Nancy Lee, as well as her peers, would sometimes forget that she was a brown girl, the committee couldn’t see past her skin color. Nancy Lee went from being a bright eyed, brown colored girl to a dark girl that day. Within the context of the story Langston Hughes portrays the stars on the American Flag as a symbol of hope to all. Not only in the 1950’s but also in today’s society the stars on our flag of freedom represent what all Americans are about, liberation and equal rights for all. Our ancestors came to this country to make a better life for themselves as well as their children. Even during our national anthem â€Å"The Star Spangled Banner† the last verse says â€Å"Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave† The stars on the flag will always mean the same regardless the year whether its 1814 when the national anthem was written, the 1950’s when this story took place, or in the year 2012. Bigotry is something that we all have to deal with. Some people are so scared of change and anything different. Even though we all have the same rights as humans, some people just can’t see past the color of a person’s skin; not just the outer difference, but also religious beliefs as well. We live in a society that no matter how much a person can persevere through discrimination there is always going to be someone to try and hold them back. In my point of view, intolerance of someone that is different is a disgrace to all mankind. This is something that Langston Hughes illustrates very well in the story. Nancy Lee, a very talented young girl, deserved to win the scholarship; but because of the color of her skin she was denied what was rightfully hers.

The Longest Words in the German Language

The classic longest German word is Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapità ¤n, clocking in with 42 letters. In English, it becomes four words: Danube steamship company captain. However, its not the only super long word in the German language and, technically, its not even the longest. German Spelling Most languages, including English, string smaller words together to form longer ones, but the Germans take this practice to new extremes. As Mark Twain said, Some German words are so long that they have a perspective. But is there really such a thing as the longest German word...  das là ¤ngste deutsche Wort? Some of the suggested longest words are artificial creations. They are never used in daily spoken or written German, which is why well look at some words that far surpass our 42-letter title winner mentioned above.   For all practical purposes, this longest-word contest is really just a game. Its more fun than practical and German just happens to offer us some really long words. Even a German or English Scrabble board only has room for 15 letters, so you wont find much use for these. Yet, if youd like to play the longest-word game, here are a few selected items to consider. The 6 Longest German Words (Lange  Deutsche  Wà ¶rter) These words are listed in alphabetical order, with their gender and letter count. Betà ¤ubungsmittelverschreibungsverordnung(die, 41 letters) Its a mesmerizing word that is rather difficult to read. This lengthy one refers to a regulation requiring a prescription for an anesthetic. Bezirksschornsteinfegermeister(der, 30 letters) This word may be short in comparison to those below, but it is a real word that you might be able to use someday, but even thats not likely. Roughly, it means a head district chimney sweep. Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizità ¤tenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft(one word, no hyphen)  (die, 79 letters, 80 with the new German spelling that adds one more f in ...dampfschifffahrts...) Even the definition is a mouthful: association of subordinate officials of the head office management of the Danube steamboat electrical services (the name of a pre-war club in Vienna). This word is not really useful; its more of a desperate attempt to lengthen the word below. Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapità ¤n(der, 42 letters) As mentioned, in classic German this is considered the longest word. Its meaning of Danube steamship company captain makes it unusable for the majority of us, though. Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften(die, plur., 39 letters) This is one you might actually be able to pronounce if you take it one syllable at a time. It means, legal protection insurance companies.  According to Guinness, this was the longest German dictionary word in everyday usage. However, the word below is a longer legitimate and official longest word—in semi-everyday usage, anyway. Rindfleischetikettierungsà ¼berwachungsaufgabenà ¼bertragungsgesetz(das, 63 letters) This hyper word references a beef labeling regulation and delegation of supervision law.  This was a 1999 German Word of the Year, and it also won a special award as the longest German word for that year. It refers to a law for regulating the labeling of beef—all in one word, which is why it is so long. German also likes abbreviations, and this word has one: ReÃÅ"AÃÅ"G. German Numbers (Zahlen) There is another reason why there really isnt a single longest German word. German numbers, long or short, are written as one word. For example, to say or write the number 7,254 (which is not really a very long number), the German is siebentausendzweihundertvierundfà ¼nfzig. That is a single word of 38 letters, so you could imagine what larger and more complex numbers may look like. For this reason, its not difficult at all to make a number-based word that far exceeds any of the other words weve discussed. Longest English Words For comparison sake, what are the longest words in English? Contrary to popular belief, the record holder is not supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (an invented word made famous in the movie Mary Poppins). Just as in German, there is disagreement about which word is actually the longest. Theres little argument, however, that English cant keep pace with German in this department. The English languages two contenders are: Antidisestablishmentarianism  (28 letters):  This is a legitimate dictionary word from the 19th century meaning opposition to the separation of church and state. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis  (45 letters):  The literal meaning of this term is lung disease caused by breathing in silica dust. Linguists claim this is an artificial word and that it does not deserve true longest word billing. Likewise, there are many technical and medical terms in English that qualify as long words. However, they are usually excluded from consideration for the longest word game.