與失智患者之有效溝通策略及方法

Dementia Patients: Effective Communication Strategies

台灣失智人口逐年增加，失智症照護已成為重要議題，其中與患者溝通更是一大難題。此外，失智症患者無論有無失語情形，其發出的聲音或是呈現的行為皆可能代表正在發出需求的訊息，假若照護者忽略這些訊息，或是不知如何回應患者所發出的訊息，可能造成患者因需求未獲解決而出現激躁行為或更嚴重的問題，因此，照護者不得不認識與學習如何與失智患者進行有效溝通。本文以文獻為基礎，提供一項評估失智症患者溝通能力之方法及整合幾種與失智症患者之溝通技巧，皆以愛、尊重及同理心為出發點。期望提供臨床照護者簡易且實用的指引，以提升照護者與失智症患者的溝通能力，最終達優質照護品質。

The importance of effective communication with dementia sufferers has grown with the increasing prevalence of this degenerative condition. Regardless of the presence of aphasia, the vocal tones and behaviors of dementia patients are meaningful, and may signal unmet needs. If caregivers ignore or fail to respond to these messages, more irritable or aggressive behaviors may result. Therefore, it is critical for caregivers to learn and apply appropriate communication strategies and skills with dementia patients. Based on a review of the literature, this paper provides guidelines for assessing dementia patients’ residual communication ability and suggests strategies and skills for communicating with dementia patients. Evidence based guidelines are important for caregivers when communicating with dementia patients in order to achieve positive outcomes and high care quality.