Yes/No Questions

Yes and no questions tend to shorten a conversation. For example, if Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides ask a patient, “Does it hurt?” their response will be either yes or no. If they respond yes, they are still unsure about the meaning and extent of the pain. If instead they ask, “Tell me about your pain,” they are opening the lines of communication for the patient to be descriptive about their pain. This makes it more likely that they will understand how their patient feels and will be able to care for them properly. Asking a patient, “How many children do you have?” results in a shorter conversation versus, “Tell me about your children.” Try to use open-ended questions in order to allow the patient the chance to speak in more depth. Open-ended questions will show the patient that what they have to say is important. Closed-ended questions such as yes/no questions end the conversation quickly and demonstrate to the patient that their thoughts are not important.

Asking “Why?”

When a patient makes a statement is another way to quickly end a conversation. It also could make the person feel defensive. If a patient does not want to do something, such as take a bath, don’t simply ask, “Why?” Say something instead such as, “You usually enjoy your bath. Tell me how you are feeling today.” The patient may then be more likely to share their thoughts and feelings.

Use of Cliches

Clichesare catch phrases people use repeatedly that do not really mean anything at all. People tend to use cliches when they are unsure of what to say. The use of cliches, especially when someone is trying to convey their feelings, is a sure way to end a conversation. Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides should try to avoid using cliches such as, “Oh, it will be alright,” “Things will get better,” “I know just how you feel,” or “We are never given more than we can handle”. Phrases, or cliches, like these tend to end conversations. They can also make a person feel patronized or as if you are treating them like a child.

Using cliches conveys to the person with whom you are speaking that you do not want to explore their true feelings. You can never guarantee an outcome such as a patient getting better, so be careful to not say that they will get better. Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides cannot truly understand how their patient feels as they have not walked in their shoes. Instead, they should try phrases such as, “I understand that this seems scary for you. What can I do to make you feel more comfortable?” or “You seem very anxious right now. Tell me how you are feeling.” This allows their patient the room to explore their thoughts with them as they have demonstrated that they care about how the patient feels. Be cautious too, with using cliches as they tend to be culturally relevant, meaning they do not have the same meaning from one culture to the next.