Nonverbal Communication In India

Helping children overcome fear of doctors

ASHEVILLE - Nurse Rob Luka remembers the first time he applied the law of expectations on a patient.

An 8-year-old boy came into the emergency room for stitches after falling off of his bike. The boy was running around the room and wouldn't let any nurses get close to him.

Then Luka tried.

"Oh, is that all," he remembers telling the child. "I can show you a real easy way to fix this."

Luka, a nurse at Mission Hospitals, said this changing of expectations is one of the key ingredients in helping children overcome their fear of doctors and hospitals. After he repeated his "easy" line, the boy finally relented and asked why - and then Luka was able to show him how easy the procedure would be.

"He ended up having a great experience," Luka said.

The law of expectations is just one of a number of techniques that Luka explores in his new book, "Helping Children Overcome Fear in a Medical Setting: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals" (The Wellness Training Center, $18.95).

The book is a result of a 30-year career in nursing, including his work at Mission Hospitals since 1993. It also includes a foreword by Dr. Olson Huff, founding medical director of Mission Children's Hospital.

"Fear is part of the equation, we'll always be dealing with it," Luka said. "What you do with the energy of fear is a different matter. How a nurse responds to that fear can dramatically change the outcome."

Fear is something that pediatricians like Dr. Leigh Dodson deal with on a daily basis.

"They're always afraid they're going to get a shot or a strep (throat) test," Dodson, a pediatrician at Asheville Pediatric Associates, said of her patients.

Luka said children often have made up their minds to be afraid the minute they walk through into the doctor's office or hospital. The smells of alcohol, the sharp needles, the associations with pain and dying are all built up in child's mind.

Unlike adults, children often don't know how to deal with these fears. As most parents are well aware, this fear usually manifests itself in crying, screaming and trying to run away.

"It is very different dealing with kids," Dodson said. "We never treat kids the way we treat adults."

Dr. Susan Mims, medical director at Mission Children's Hospital, said most medical professionals now recognize that children are not small adults, but are patients who think in a different way.

A Guide to Non-Verbal Communication in India | Aussie Travel Advice

There are 22 official languages in India and 398 living languages in India, people from the southern belt will not have a language in common with their northern countrymen and even people living in the same village may speak two different dialects. Because of this, most Indians are also well practised in non verbal languages such as head Wobbles and Hand Signals. Most tourists to India will find that with a bit of English and liberal use of non verbal signals with the odd local phrase thrown in will be sufficient to be understood in this country. Be assured that Indian are passionate and committed, compulsive communicators and there will always be someone to translate for you.

For First Time Travelers to India, the author of India for Idiots shares a few tips on building bridges of understanding between cultures.

OFF ROAD HAND SIGNALS

* The palm down and the fingers moving towards the person making the hand signal: Come here.

* The palm upwards, three fingers folded towards the palm, the index finger raised. This is a question hand signal meaning how are you, what happened, what do you want, what are you staring at, I don’t understand and I don’t have.

* The palm towards you and pushing forward. Means wait, be patient, life is an eternal; we will get to you eventually.

* The palm extended to the front and patting the air. Means do not be afraid, calm down and sit down.

* All fingertips on the thumb and the held against the temple or the side of the mouth and then flicked forcefully to the side. Is a physical exclamation mark meaning that the thought of speech of whoever is being discussed is Rubbish. Used in the past tense.

* All fingertips on the thumb and the held against the temple or the side of the mouth and then flicked forcefully to the front and down. As in above only present tense.

* The Hand held to the side and shaken side to side: Used to communicate a lack of commitment. Means It’s not a good idea, it was never a good idea, it only contained elements of the truth and don’t even think about it.

* The Hand with the palm towards the body and the fingers curled loosely in the palm then rapidly flicked to the side in a down and outwards manner. Rubbish, not worth talking about.

* The finger to the temple. That person is mad.

* The hand as if holding an invisible drink. That person is drunk.

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