Say What?
You notice a coworker looking overwhelmed and unusually quiet.
"I've noticed you seem quieter than usual. Are you ok? or "What support would help today?"
Your colleague is overwhelmed and you want to offer support without immediately fixing the problem.
SEE • SAY • SUPPORT — Mental Health & Burnout Prevention.
A coworker is visibly stressed during a busy shift. What’s one helpful action you could take?
Check in privately, listen without judgment and offer realistic support or assistance.
A stressed coworker says they’re struggling. Someone responds, “We’re all busy. You’ll be fine.”
The response minimizes their experience. Better: “It sounds like a lot right now. What would help?”
Finish this phrase: “Connect before you _____.”
CORRECT!
A resident with dementia says, “Someone stole my purse!”
“That sounds upsetting. Let’s see if we can find it together.” Validate the emotion without confirming an unverified theft.
You need to assign tasks during an emergency and ensure everyone understands their responsibilities.
CALM • CALL • CONFIRM — Safety & Emergency Response.
During an emergency, someone says, “Can somebody call for help?” What would you do differently?
Assign the task to a specific person: “Jordan, call for emergency assistance now.” Jordan repeats the instruction and confirms when complete.
A resident with dementia says they need to pick up their children. A staff member responds, “Your children are grown up. You don’t have to do that anymore.”
It corrects facts without responding to the resident’s underlying emotion. Better: “You sound worried about your children. Tell me about them.”
Name the three words in the conflict resolution framework — in order.
PAUSE • PROBLEM • PLAN
A family member refuses to put on required PPE before entering a room.
“I understand it can be uncomfortable. We need everyone to wear the required PPE to keep people safe. Let me help you put it on.”
Two coworkers have had a tense interaction and need to work through the issue respectfully.
PAUSE • PROBLEM • PLAN — Conflict Resolution & Team Trust.
A visitor enters an isolation area without required PPE. What would you do?
Pause entry, explain the required precaution respectfully, assist with correct PPE and follow the home’s escalation procedure if necessary.
A coworker reminds another to clean their hands. The response is, “I know how to do my job!”
Defensiveness discourages speaking up. Better: “Thanks for catching that.”
Your team has 20 seconds to come up with three respectful ways to begin a difficult conversation.
“Can we talk about what happened?” “Help me understand…” or “I’d like us to find a way forward.”
A colleague says sharply, “You never help me!”
“I can hear that you’re frustrated. Can we talk about what’s been happening and what would help us work together?”
A resident becomes upset because they believe their family is coming to take them home.
NOTICE • NURTURE • NAVIGATE — Dementia Care. Notice the emotion, nurture connection and navigate gently.
You are preparing to call the physician about a resident who has suddenly become more confused. What information should you organize?
Identify the concern, changes from baseline, relevant history, vital signs and observations, medications or other pertinent information, and your specific request. Use SBAR and confirm the plan. Escalate immediately if urgent.
During an emergency, a nurse says, “Someone get the emergency equipment!” Everyone looks around, but nobody moves.
No individual was assigned responsibility and there was no confirmation. Assign a named person, state the task and request a check-back.
Act it out! Without saying the tool’s name, demonstrate receiving a respectful safety reminder positively. Your teammates must identify the module and tool.
An example is responding to a PPE or hand hygiene reminder with “Thanks for catching that!”
A family member whose loved one is receiving end-of-life care asks, “Are they going to die tonight?”
“I can hear how worried you are. I can’t predict exactly when, but I can ask the nurse to speak with you about what we’re seeing. I’ll stay with you while we arrange that.”
A resident has a significant change in condition. You need to call the physician with organized clinical information and confirm the orders.
SBAR + CONFIRM THE PLAN — Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, followed by read-back and follow-through.
During a difficult shift, a resident with dementia is distressed, a family member is upset, and two staff members disagree about priorities. How do you respond?
Assess immediate safety and clinical needs first, assign roles clearly, use NOTICE–NURTURE–NAVIGATE with the resident, HEAR–HONOUR–HOLD or empathetic listening with the family as appropriate, and PAUSE–PROBLEM–PLAN to address the staff conflict once urgent needs are stabilized.
A family member is crying about their loved one’s decline. A staff member says, “Don’t cry. They’ve lived a long life.”
It minimizes grief and rushes to reassurance. Better: “I can see how painful this is. I’m here with you.”
The ultimate challenge: Your team has 60 seconds to name all seven communication frameworks. Can you do it?
SEE–SAY–SUPPORT; CALM–CALL–CONFIRM; PAUSE–PROBLEM–PLAN; NOTICE–NURTURE–NAVIGATE; PAUSE–PROTECT–PROCEED; SBAR + CONFIRM; HEAR–HONOUR–HOLD.