Understanding Elderspeak from the Perspective of Certified Nursing Assistants

This article draws from surveys of more than two dozen certified nursing assistants (CNAs) about their use of “elderspeak,” a patronizing way of speaking to older people as if they were children. The CNAs reported that they used elderspeak to make elders feel more comfortable and to seem friendlier themselves. Several reported that they were more likely to use elderspeak with elders who have dementia. Some CNAs responded that they felt elderspeak was never appropriate to use.

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