Everybody, everywhere communicates. Whether it be communication as simple as Intrapersonal (communication within oneself) through to communicating in front of masses of people (public communication).

In the business world both types of communications can be used in day to day practices and in Rest Homes for Elderly care good communication is vital both between the staff and between staff and patient.

But along with communication comes noise or barriers that restrict the meaning of the message, (Effective Business Communication in New Zealand, Pg. 10) i.e.: how the receiver conveys the message. Using my own knowledge of the working situation within a rest home I have decided that perception is the most important of barriers. Of perception three of the most important areas are, Field of experience, Personality and Characteristics and the use of language and tone.

Field of experience includes barriers resulting from differences in education and levels of competence, language barriers are examples of this as are differing experiences with technical jargon, (Effective Business Communication in New Zealand, Pg. 17). For example it wouldn t be suitable for a nurse to explain to a patient that what s wrong is that, the blistered epidermis, has an infection, as it is unlikely that the patient would understand what is being said.

Peoples fields of experience vary widely within a rest home not only due to the residences geographic locations but also in terms of their study, work, family life and culture.

To overcome these barriers nurses need to be trained about other cultures and they need to be understanding about the occupant's backgrounds. (www.millpondresthome.com/)

Everyone has their own personality or characteristics. The characteristics of our personality s include our needs beliefs values and expectations.

Needs are said to be psychological in nature (Effective Business Communication in New Zealand, Pg. 17), we need safety, belonging, esteem and self-fulfillment. If these needs are not fully satisfied our communication will be effected. For Example, If one of the nurses within a rest home is suffering from an injured leg, their personality can become less inviting to others. If the nurse is helping a patient out in this circumstance, the elderly person may perceive the nurses irritation as a direct response to them, whereas the nurses agitation was purely unintentional and the patient has received the wrong idea or message entirely.

Therefore, in a rest home nurses need to respect fine details of patients personalities, and especially when they become more accustomed to each other, the nurses will need to think about how the patients will feel before communicating, and take their needs, beliefs, values and expectations into consideration.

In elderly care, perhaps the most effective form of communication from nurse to patient is the use of language and tone. Patients within rest homes can suffer from conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, Cancer, and AIDS (www.riverviewlodge.au.org). To fully support the residence, the staff have to be compassionate and they need to bring this across in both their use of tone and language.

Tone refers to the feelings or packaging that accompanies every message. (Effective Business Communication in N.Z. Pg. 20)

The use of language within a business inevitably involves the use of tone. In business, tone accompanies every communication, affecting all clients and customers, influencing all relationships among staff. (Effective Business Communication in N.Z. Pg. 20)

The tone of letters and memos, meetings and conferences, phone calls and conversations all play a crucial part in business operations. But most importantly, in regards to nursing, the tone of soothing words in an elders time of need are what makes tone critical in the business environment.

Communication is something that everybody does everywhere, Although, just because everyone is communicating it doesn't mean that we all completely understand what each other are saying, both in movements and in speech. This is justifiable as we all have different ways of thinking and perceive things differently.

In a retirement home the residences need to be well taken care of, to do this the staff are required to be considerate of all of their needs which includes Field of experience, Personality and Characteristics and the correct use of language and tone. If the workers can do this to the highest standard achievable to each of them it will mean that the customer satisfaction will be greater and the business will prosper as a whole.

REFERENCING

http://www.riverviewlodge.com/

Accessed on the 17 - 03 - 00

http://www.btinternet.com/ marreba/marebba1.htm

Accessed on the 17 - 03 - 00

Chase, P, O Rourke, S, Smith, L, Sutton, C, Timperley, T, Wallace, C

(1998) Effective Business Communication in New Zealand