Talking With Your Older Patient: A Clinician's Handbook

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has released "Talking With Your Older Patient: A Clinician's Handbook," a comprehensive publication designed to enhance health care providers' communication with older patients.


The overall aim of "Talking With Your Older Patient" is to introduce and/or reinforce communication skills essential in caring for older patients and their families. It suggests practical tips, techniques, and approaches to help with diagnosis, promote treatment adherence, make more efficient use of clinicians' time, and increase patient and provider satisfaction.

This colorful, 64-page publication is written for clinicians but will also be useful to students being trained for health care professions and others who interact with older people. The booklet contains 11 chapters covering a wide range of topics, such as understanding older patients, breaking bad news, and talking with patients about cognitive problems. It also includes an extensive list of resources and a tear-off chart giving contact information for national organizations that address specific concerns such as financial assistance, nutrition, and transportation. A list of other free publications available from NIA is included as well.

To download or order free copies of "Talking With Your Older Patient," visit www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/ClinicianHB
or call the NIA Information Center toll-free at 800-222-2225 or 800-222-4225 (TTY).

Bulk quantities (25 or more) may be ordered by visiting http://niapublications.org/bulkorder1.asp.

Note: This new, free offering replaces the NIA publication entitled Working With Your Older Patient: A Clinician's Handbook.