Ethical issues in communication with elderly patients
Ethical issues in communication with elderly patients

Summary/Abstract: Communication is one of fundamental human needs in general and all the more so among suffering elderly and it involves the transfer of information from a human sender to a hu-man receiver with the aim of enhancing the receiver's knowledge in order to allow them to fulfil their tasks or to influence their attitudes and behaviour. The increase in number of the elderly population is a feature of the last decades, a global phenomenon, higher in economically developed countries. For the elderly, the need of communication is vital: their existence, the quality and duration of life are threatened by the failure to meet this need or by inappropriate communication. Elderly patients have a specific biological, psy-chological and social profile requiring a different approach than other categories of pa-tients. Effective patient-clinician communication maximizes patient autonomy. Treating pa-tients in a dignified, courteous and respectful manner is an ethical duty for any clinician.

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