Communication in Elderly Care Cross-Cultural Perspectives

The topic of communication in elderly care (or eldercare) is important and becoming ever more pressing, with an aging world population and burgeoning numbers needing care. This book looks at this critical but underanalyzed area. It examines the way people talk to each other in eldercare settings from an interdisciplinary and globally cross-cultural perspective. The small body of available research points to eldercare communication taking place with its own specific conditions and contexts. Often, there is the presence of various mental/physical ailments on the part of the receivers, scarcity of time, resources and or flexibility on the part of the care givers and the necessity of assistance with personal activities. The book combines theory and practice, with linguistically informed analysis of real-life interaction in eldercare settings across the world. Each chapter closes with a "Practical Recommendations" section that contains suggestions on how communication in eldercare can be improved. This book will appeal to researchers and carers alike, and is an important and timely publication.

Peter Backhaus is Assistant Professor at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.