Kristine N. Williams, RN, CS, FNP, PhD, University of Kansas School of Nursing, Kansas City, KS, USA.

Today's health care provider works to promote health and successful aging of the growing population of older adults. Unknowingly, younger care providers may communicate messages of dependence, incompetence and control to older adults through the use of elderspeak, a common intergenerational speech style. This article describes elderspeak, its underlying negative messages and strategies for clinicians to use in evaluating and enhancing their own interpersonal communication with older patients. Issues critical to communication with older adults are examined and the importance of communication as a therapeutic tool for health care providers is explored.
Key words: communication, provider-client relationship, elderspeak.