About Us

Calhoun Communications is a company that makes a connection with family, friends, administrators, doctors, nurses, staff, facilities, and educators in an effort to address social isolation, improve healthcare, and Quality of Life for older adults.

The primary source of connection revolves around effective communication.  As the percentage of older adults within the U.S. continues to grow, long-term care options have been impacted with an increased number of older adults to provide for.

As an alternative solution to help older adults maintain Quality of Life, Calhoun Communications evolved to help the general population become aware of how powerful “meaningful” communication is to sustaining cognitive and communicative vitality in our older population.

                                                    OUR MISSION STATEMENT

Quality of Life is a phrase that we often hear, but seldom is it defined to show what it is or how it can be achieved.  Calhoun Communications is here to resolve that issue for you. As we age and lose our ability to carry out certain tasks, or remember important facts, or enjoy the freedom of independence, we are often unable to identify who, what, where, when or why. What it amounts to is that everyone likes to be able to decide what they want to do, when they want to do it, how they want to do it, or even, whether or not they want to do it.  When placed into a new environment (e.g. a nursing home) where everything is decided for you without adequate explanation or preparation, frustration is inevitable.
 

Healthcare workers are instructed on what has to be done, when and how to do it, but not how to explain/or present it to the patient.  This can result in resistance and frustration for both parties. Diminished capacities are probable causes for a patient to be in this situation, but maintaining a sense of dignity is still at stake here.  Just because assistance may be necessary to reach a goal (bathing, getting dressed or even eating a meal), a person still wants to be able to feel a sense of control over matters that affect them.  Workers sometimes wonder what went wrong because they approached the patient with a cheerful attitude and tried to maintain a positive approach but were still rebuffed.  It may be that those are the very reasons they are being rebuffed.  Their attitude may have come across as patronizing or demeaning.

Family members are concerned when their loved one has to enter this new phase of life and want to show them they are still loved and valued, but often don't know how to do so effectively.  When visiting, they may enter the room speaking too loudly, demanding responses that the patient may require more time to process or may not be up to, at all. This can be remedied by a few changes in approach and attitude.

Calhoun Communications seeks to bridge this gap and get everyone on the same page.