Caregiver Communication: Starting the Conversation
About Hospice and Dementia

Presented by Joy Goldsmith and Elaine Wittenberg

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Video Runtime: 12 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 4 Minutes

This series guides healthcare providers and professionals from home health, hospice, and palliative care to communicate more effectively with team members and coworkers. Modules in this series provide communication and trust-building skills in the healthcare setting, helping fill practice gaps that contribute to burnout, absenteeism, and moral distress.

Learning Objectives

Analyze four discrepancies between home health goals and family needs around dementia
Interpret the ROAD acronym to facilitate discussions about hospice and palliative care

Meet your instructors

Smiling woman with gray shoulder-length hair in a dark pink shirt stands against white, representing confidence in hybrid care solutions.

Joy Goldsmith

Joy Goldsmith, PhD, conducts research about health communication science in the context of healthcare provider training and serious and chronic illness. CommunicateComfort.com, a longtime initiative of Dr. Goldsmith, offers a range of research interventions and education/training curricula for healthcare providers. Storyboard…

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A smiling woman with curly gray hair and an orange top stands against a white background, embodying medbridge's approachability.

Elaine Wittenberg

Elaine Wittenberg holds a PhD in communication from the University of Oklahoma and has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed articles on hospice and palliative care communication. She is coauthor of seven books pertaining to palliative care, family communication, and nursing, three of which have been awarded Book of the Year…

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Chapters & learning objectives

1. Starting the Conversation: Hospice and Dementia

First, we explain four discrepancies between home health goals and family needs regarding dementia, and second, we describe the ROAD communication acronym that can create a path for discussions about hospice and palliative care. Putting these tools into practice requires awareness of your communication and that of others. These skills can support the quality and productivity of your work environment, as well as improve patient experiences and outcomes in home health, hospice, and palliative care.