MichaelSullivan
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Feb 2, 2009, 1:36 PM
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Dealing with the Vision and Hearing Decline of Aging Boomers
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By Michael P. Sullivan - 50-Plus Communications Consulting - www.graymoney.biz
Many Boomers and older adults are going to be healthier and more active and live longer lives . . . but there will be changes! It’s one thing to understand changes in the aging process; it is another to know what to do about them. We have found that residents report greater overall satisfaction when we provide basic training for staff, especially the younger ones.
Communications are more effective and better sales and service are provided to Boomers if staff is more knowledgeable and sensitive to changes in the basic senses, vision and hearing, occurring in the aging process. These changes affect behavior and staff need to know how to recognize and respond to them.
Vision Issues
By age 40, the average person has lost 50% of the functional capacity he or she was born with. By age 60, the average person has less than 25% of that original functional capacity -- and the decline continues throughout the rest of life.
Vision decline is one of the most obvious signs of aging. About 90% of people over age 60 require vision correction of one kind or another. With aging, the eye becomes thicker and heavier, reducing the ability to focus on near objects.
The effects of vision decline include: difficulty seeing near objects, loss of depth perception, inability to see clearly because of external glare, and inability to see clearly because of inadequate internal lighting. A 50 year-old needs twice as much lighting as a 25 year-old; an 80 year-old needs three times as much.
The Impact on Your Sales and Public Presentations
There are a number of actions retirement home staff can take to overcome communications barriers caused by vision decline: eliminate external glare caused by sunlight, sit facing the person, increase the use of hand gestures, and avoid fast-paced movements. Always conduct business in a well-lit area while sitting close to the person, face-to-face if possible . . . he or she may be lip-reading. Again, increase the use of appropriate gestures when talking to re-enforce your message.
Hearing Issues
On average, by about age 40, men have lost over 25% of their original capacity; women have lost a little less. By about age 60, men have lost 75% while women have lost only about 50%.
The effects of hearing decline include: difficulty hearing on the telephone, straining to understand conversations, not being able to follow when several people talk, interference by background noises, the need to lip-read, sometimes unconsciously, in order to follow a speaker.
Hearing decline affects sales and service in public presentations, such as seminars, telephone conversations, one-on-one meetings, and computer presentations. Staff can minimize the effects of hearing decline on the telephone by lowering their pitch, using shorter sentences, and periodically summarizing what is said. When there is a question or objection, make sure the person is responding to what is actually said rather than what one might have “heard”. In one-on-one meetings staff can improve results by visually signally before speaking, looking directly at the person, and sitting face to face at the same level.
The vision and hearing senses are most critical for people of age to understand what is communicated. Simple techniques can make it so much easier for your residents.
By Michael P. Sullivan, President, 50-Plus Communications Consulting, Charlotte North Carolina, (704) 554-7863. Mike consults and trains staff at retirement facilities, homecare living firms, financial services and health care organizations. His book, “101 Easy Ways to Increase Business with Boomerplus Clients” is available on his website, www.graymoney.biz. Contact him at mps50plus@aol.com.
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(This post was edited by MichaelSullivan on May 6, 2009, 9:34 AM)
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