Therapeutic Communication In Edna's Life

A2
Edna, a 79 year old woman with bilateral leg ulcers, is visited by community nurses twice a week to change the dressing on her legs. She lives alone and has recently been feeling socially isolated. This essay will demonstrate the different techniques in which the nurse and Edna will communicate, whilst also identifying socio-political factors that could impact Edna in her daily life. It is predicted that with an ageing population, by 2031 there will be more than 14.5 million people with hearing loss and over 2 million with severe hearing loss in the UK (The Ear Foundation, 2014). Subsequently, due to Edna’s age, this essay will also discuss the impact of ageing body systems on Edna’s life and as barriers when communicating with her.

The term ‘Therapeutic communication’ identifies the way in which a nurse and patient interact, with the main focus being on advancing the emotional well-being of a patient; (Sherko E., et al, 2013) nurses will use this to deliver support and information to Edna. Effective communication skills are essential within nursing and are often seen as one of the main skills necessary for nurses to support patients and their families (Bramhall E, 2014). There are many forms of therapeutic communication that can be used in

The community nurses that visit her twice a week should be analytic of the environment she is living. This is because a quarter of older households live in non-decent housing, impacting not only on the size of their heating bills but also on their health (Age UK, 2013). If this is the case, the outcome of poor housing conditions such as damp, indoor pollutants and cold have all been associated with physical illness including eczema, hypothermia and heart disease (Chartered institute of Environmental Health, 2015). This puts Edna at risk of further complications to her health and due to her age makes her more vulnerable to being affected with more serious health