Thesis (BA Communication Arts) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2018

Communication is an important consideration in healthcare system. However, the link between the two variables is understudied because there is insufficient mechanism to explain the association of clinician-client interaction with health outcomes. The study is about interpersonal communication and its key functions in geriatric care, specifically in the context of the clinician-client relationship in the Care for the Elderly Foundation Inc. nursing home. The communication initiatives of the nursing home, specifically the clinicians, were identified through qualitative methods such as interviews and observations, and were assessed according to the key interpersonal functions of communication they satisfy through a thematic analysis. The results of the analysis show that key interpersonal functions of communication differ according to the classification of the elderly clients ? whether they are mentally abled or mentally challenged/demented. According to the findings, the function of ?fostering healing clinician-client relationship? emerged as the most applicable key interpersonal function of communication to the current caregiving process for both the mentally abled and mentally challenged elderly clients. They were also divergent functions that arose from the data analysis; reorientation, restriction, and stimulation. Reorientation and restriction are functions of interpersonal communication applicable only for the mentally challenged, while the stimulation is applicable for bedridden elderly clients. The results of the analysis were used the basis for the creation of a communication program consisting of communication strategies for the nursing home to augment relevant and applicable key interpersonal functions of communication.