Having a job in a residential care home can be extremely rewarding yet very challenging at times, this is because elderly people cannot do daily activities like they used to be able to do such as toilet themselves, just walk around the home or even feed themselves so even though it can be a tough job it is making a difference in their life.
There are many ways to communicate with an elderly person but they may all have different needs and wants and this is something you will have to get used to and work around, for example someone with dementia will have a rough time making decisions for themselves so you, the care worker will need to use your training and knowledge to find a way to successfully find out what they need or want.

Context of communication

One to one communication
This is an interaction between two people; first they begin with greeting each other, then focus on the main situation of the interaction, then end it in a supportive, friendly way. One to one communication in a care home is very important because the resident will gain your trust to tell you issues they have with anything and they will be expecting you to listen and help them. One to one communication can be effective because it is only between two people so the resident will be able to speak freely and be listened to at all times.

Group interaction
This is between 3 or more people, this can sometimes be a hard way to communicate because you may get spoken over and it's hard to know when to take your turn if it's not organised properly, people taking part in the group interaction may find it difficult to form a relationship or bond with the others because it's a more complex way to communicate than one to one. It can be effective because for example if you have something to say, you will have people to back up your opinion. In a residential care home this way can be used in resident meetings or activities.

Formal and informal communication
Formal communication can be used for example if the manager was writing to someone in the organisation or it can be if a resident complains about something via letter it will be laid out and wrote in the correct manor, also if the manager answers the phone they will say 'hello *name of the care home and state their name* how can I help you?' which is a formal greeting via telephone.
Informal communication is a more relaxed way of speaking and it helps some people feel comfortable to speak to a lot of people, usually informal communication is a way of speaking with family, friends or close colleges when out and about. It can also be used via text message with abbreviations like 'LOL' or 'BRB' some people feel uncomfortable speaking in the correct use of English so they stick with the informal way to communicate which is not any less respectful as any other way to communicate.

Verbal communication
This is communicating with words or via writing to one another, this can be effective when someone understands your way of speaking and grammar, this is important when talking to someone in a residential care home because some residents may find it hard to understand certain people with a different way of speaking to them so the way to overcome this is to respect the way they understand and work around it , also asking them if they understand will make them feel comfortable speaking to you because you are giving them time to ask questions if they don’t understand which will put them more at ease.

Non-verbal communication
Non-verbal communication a way of communicating via body language because when speaking you can tell a lot about the person with their body language, for example if someone is sitting on a chair slouched over this is giving off the impression that the person has a 'can't be bothered' attitude' so posture is a big part in non-verbal communication, it is something you must look out for especially for the elderly because they may find it