Communicating with Family Members
In nursing, communication is a fundamental component that requires a copious amount of devotion to properly facilitate a message. The message that is understood is not necessarily accurate. For example, we may concentrate on one piece of information and fail to hear essential material that is pertinent to the situation. Many factors may impact gathering information, which includes the environment we are located in and the people around us. As nurses, we engage in intercommunication between patients, family members, and the interdisciplinary team. The exposure among all parties may easily create miscommunication and negative behaviors. Subsequently, a critical factor in communication includes understanding that not one individual is the same. Each of us is different, which makes communication a significant component in nursing.
Nurse-Family Interaction
Working with other individuals requires us to create a level of communication that will adequately send a message and be received without conflict. However, it is fairly uncommon to have a message understood the first time. This leads to dialog that is neither veracious nor substantial. While working with residents in a nursing home setting, there is a vast amount of family involvement. One interaction that took place captivated my entire experience for a significant amount of time. The patient was an 87-year-old female who sustained pressure ulcers during her time in the nursing home. Her daughter would frequently visit and inquire about her mother’s plan of care. As a nurse, who has worked with family members for an extensive amount of time, it gradually became arduous communicating with this particular family member.
During my interaction with the resident’s daughter, I noticed a harsh tone being used at the time of introducing myself. The family member immediately stated that the staff was not treating her mother the way she should be treated. I asked her what she was trying to convey to me. She said that her mother was not washed for several days and suggested that the staff does not know what they are doing. While listening to a family member’s concerns, I acknowledge what is being said and distance myself to facilitate space in a tense territory. In doing so, a family member may feel neglected, which led to a supervisor being called. As the supervisor entered the interaction, the resident’s family member began to scream down the hall and threatened to have every staff member fired from the unit.
The interaction quickly escalated to a verbal argument between the resident’s family member and myself. Attempting to keep my voice down, I told the resident’s daughter to calm down. As a result, she reciprocated with vulgar language and stated that I need to keep quiet. After once again removing myself from the situation, the supervisor continued to interact with the individual. An hour later, the supervisor approached me and stated that I did a positive thing by removing myself from the scenario. She stated that the family member is calm now and that I should attempt to speak with her at some point. Giving myself some time to reflect, the resident’s daughter approached me a few hours later. She stated wanting to apologize and that she had a challenging morning with her children at home. Proceeding to start a dialog with her, I asked her to join me in the family lounge. She agreed and we spoke about her challenges at home.
Throughout our interaction, the resident’s daughter addressed her issues at home stating that she is a single mother. I discussed various options with her in regards to providing childcare when necessary. We were able to set up an appointment with the social worker at the facility in order to better facilitate her needs. Our interaction ended on a positive note, but it could have easily continued to spiral out of control. During our dialog, I felt the strain of her stress on her personal life, which has impacted her optimism and exuberance. Being able to resolve her concerns was a rewarding feeling that I have not felt in years.
