Verbal and non-verbal communication of blind mother during child’s body hygiene

Abstract

Blind mother should receive orientations on baby care. It was aimed to analyze the verbal and non-verbal communication of blind mother with motor limitation with child and nurse during hygiene. This is an exploratory descriptive study of the case study type, with quantitative analysis conducted in 2009. Mother/child and mother/nurse communication were recorded and analyzed by six judges. There was prevalence of the mother as addressee with nurse and the use of the emotional function verbalizing with the child in verbal communication. And in non-verbal communication the intimate distance prevailed between mother/child and the personal distance between mother/nurse. The mother demonstrated fear when bathing the child. It was concluded that the distances established facilitates mother’s interactions with the baby and with the professional. In spite of motor and visual difficulties, the mother didn’t suffer verbal damages while establishing the communication process.