Communicating with the hearing impaired

1. If the person wears a hearing aid and still has difficulty hearing, check to see if the hearing aid is in the person�s ear. Also check to see that it is turned on, adjusted and has a working battery. If these things are fine and the person still has difficulty hearing, find out when he/she last had a hearing evaluation;
2. Wait until you are directly in front of the person, you have that individual�s attention and you are close enough to the person before you begin speaking;
3. Be sure that the individual sees you approach, otherwise your presence may startle the person;
4. Face the hard-of-hearing person directly and be on the same level with him/her whenever possible;
5. If you are eating, chewing or smoking while talking, your speech will be more difficult to understand;
6. Keep your hands away from your face while talking;
7. Recognize that hard-of-hearing people hear and understand less well when they are tired or ill;
8. Reduce or eliminate background noise as much as possible when carrying on conversations;
9. Speak in a normal fashion without shouting. See that the light is not shining in the eyes of the hearing impaired person;
10. If the person has difficulty understanding something, find a different way of saying the same thing, rather than repeating the original words over and over;
11. Use simple, short sentences to make your conversation easier to understand;
12. Write messages if necessary;
13. Allow ample time to converse with a hearing impaired person. Being in a rush will compound everyone�s stress and create barriers to having a meaningful conversation.

Communicating with the deaf

1. Communicating with the deaf is similar to communicating with the hearing impaired;
2. Write messages if the person can read;
3. Use a pictogram grid or other device with illustrations to facilitate communication;
4. Be concise with your statements and questions;
5. Utilize as many other methods of communication as possible to convey your message (i.e. body language);
6. Spend time with the person, so you are not rushed or under pressure.

Communicating with the visually impaired

1. If you are entering a room with someone who is visually impaired, describe the room layout, other people who are in the room, and what is happening;
2. Tell the person if you are leaving. Let him/her know if others will remain in the room or if he/she will be alone;
3. Use whatever vision remains;
4. Allow the person to take your arm for guidance;
5. When you speak, let the person know whom you are addressing;
6. Ask how you may help: increasing the light, reading the menu, describing where things are, or in some other way;
7. Call out the person�s name before touching. Touching lets a person know that you are listening;
8. Allow the person to touch you;
9. Treat him/her like a sighted person as much as possible;
10. Use the words "see" and "look" normally;
11. Legal blindness is not necessarily total blindness. Use large movement, wide gestures and contrasting colors;
12. Explain what you are doing as you are doing it, for example, looking for something or putting the wheelchair away;
13. Describe walks in routine places. Use sound and smell clues;
14. Encourage familiarity and independence whenever possible;
15. Leave things where they are unless the person asks you to move something.

Communicating with aphasics

Aphasia is a total or partial loss of the power to use or understand words. It is often the result of a stroke or other brain damage. Expressive aphasics are able to understand what you say; receptive aphasics are not. Some victims may have a bit of both kinds of the impediment. For expressive aphasics, trying to speak in like having a word "on the tip of your tongue" and not being able to call it forth. Some suggestions for communicating with individuals who have aphasia follow:

1. Be patient and allow plenty of time to communicate with a person with aphasia;
2. Be honest with the individual. Let him/her know if you can�t quite understand what he/she is telling you;
3. Ask the person how best to communicate. What techniques or devices can be used to aid communication;
4. Allow the aphasic to try to complete his/her thoughts, to struggle with words. Avoid being too quick to guess what the person is trying to express;
5. Encourage the person to write the word he/she is trying to express and read it aloud;
6. Use gestures or pointing to objects if helpful in supplying words or adding meaning;
7. A pictogram grid is sometimes used. These are useful to "fill in" answers to requests such as "I need" or "I want." The person merely points to the appropriate picture;
8. Use touch to aid in concentration, to establish another avenue of communication and to offer reassurance and encouragement.

Communicating with persons with Alzheimer�s Disease or related disorders

1. Always approach the person from the front, or within his/her line of vision � no surprise appearances;
2. Speak in a normal tone of voice and greet the person as you would anyone else;
3. Face the person as you talk to him/her;
4. Minimize hand movements that approach the other person;
5. Avoid a setting with a lot of sensory stimulation, like a big room where many people may be sitting or talking, a high-traffic area or a very noisy place;
6. Maintain eye contact and smile. A frown will convey negative feeling s to a person;
7. Be respectful of the person�s personal space and observant of his/her reaction as you move closer. Maintain a distance of one to one and a half feet initially;
8. If a person is a pacer, walk with him/her, in step with him/her while you talk;
9. Use distraction if a situation looks like it may get out of hand. A couple of examples are: if the person is about to hit someone of if he/she is trying to leave the home/facility.
10. Use a low-pitched, slow speaking voice which older adults hear best;
11. Ask only one question at a time. More than one question will increase confusion;
12. Repeat key words if the person does not understand the first time around;
13. Nod and smile only if what the person said is understood.