Communication is a necessity for everyone in everyday life to interact with others and even with himself. Communication is the process of delivering messages from the communicator to the communicant that will have an effect. In the study of Communication Studies there are also Communication Models and Levels. According to Wilbur Schramm "communication always requires at least three elements: source (source), message (message), and target" (destinations). Interpersonal communication is communication between people face to face that allows each participant to capture the reactions of others directly, both verbally and non-verbally. In conducting interpersonal communication, closeness and openness are needed to establish good communication. The success of communication is the responsibility of the communicator (Mulyana, 2010)
Currently, many countries are experiencing a progressive increase in the elderly population, and greater service needs for parents (Saadati, Shoaee, Pouryan, Alkasir, & Lashani, 2014). Along with the increasing age of the elderly, there are also more problems that must be faced, because the elderly are the stages of human development that are most affected by problems. The elderly will need care services such as health, physical, psychological, spiritual and social.
Currently, many parents or the elderly are placed in nursing homes due to economic limitations and social factors also affect parents demanding a lot of children, and the child is not able to fulfill these desires. A specific place for the health of the elderly is a nursing home. The elderly who live in nursing homes have conditions that make them dependent on assistance from the orphanage, such as medicine, hygiene and social activities (Forsgren, Skott, Hartelius, & Saldert, 2015)
Problems that arise in the elderly "Generally after people enter the elderly, they experience a decline in cognitive and psychomotor functions". Cognitive function includes the process of learning, perception, understanding, understanding, attention and others, causing the reaction and behavior of the elderly to become slower. While psychomotor (cognitive) functions include things related to volitional impulses such as movement, action, coordination, which results in the elderly becoming less agile (Kartinah & Sudaryanto, 2008).
Nurses complain of language barriers, lack of willingness to listen, and logistical problems, Tjia et al. 2009 in (Mueller et al., 2015). In addition, there is a feeling of lack of enthusiasm, motivation, self-confidence and a sense of underappreciation. These things make the elderly who live in nursing homes feel uncomfortable.
Communication must be conveyed as well as possible, such as how to communicate with parents. Because the elderly cannot receive all communication from us because the elderly are more sensitive and their emotions are unstable. From the results of the study concluded that interpersonal communication by nurses can help provide motivation, confidence and comfort for the elderly. Therefore the author wants to know how the process or stages needed in building good communication. According to social penetration theory, closeness is one of the things needed in establishing good interpersonal communication (West & Turner, 2007).
According to O'Byrne et al in (McMullan, Parush, & Momtahan, 2015), communication with patients is one of the most important points in the treatment process and information exchange. Effective communication skills are important for all relationships (Kusuma, 2009). Like the relationship between nurses and the elderly, communication skills, especially nurses, are important for the personal needs of the elderly in nursing homes (Emma Forsgren, Skott, Hartelius
& Saldert, 2015). Nurses are the closest people who communicate directly with the elderly. Communication is interpersonal communication which is the process of exchanging information directly or transferring the understanding of two or more people. Good interpersonal communication will be able to build closeness and intimacy in the process of conveying messages. One of the important interpersonal communication processes is in the morning at the nursing home, when the staff helps the residents by getting out of bed and managing the morning routine at the nursing home. (Forsgren et al., 2015).
Nurses also play an important role in forming closeness, because in the daily life of the elderly in nursing homes nurses always communicate directly with the elderly and understand how the condition of the elderly is. But in reality to be able to build and establish good communication with the elderly is not easy. As in the research of Cristanty and Azeharie (2016), it is stated that physical and mental conditions become obstacles in communicating, such as hearing loss, which makes nurses have to repeatedly convey messages patiently and carefully. Other obstacles such as difficulty understanding and understanding what the elderly want. Most of the elderly are not able to carry out their activities independently, because the behavior of the elderly tends to change like a child. The role of a nurse is important to help the elderly in changing their daily behavior for the better. A nurse must also be good at making a decision.
Taking action or decision does not have to be based on existing medical facts but must consider the values and wishes of the patient himself. Thus the elderly will feel that they receive attention and a sense of respect (Bollig, Rosland, & Heller, 2016).
The feeling of comfort of the elderly in nursing homes is influenced by the communication made by nurses in the process of activities carried out between nurses and the elderly. As stated by Khisoli (2016), someone who is entrusted with a nursing home will usually consider himself useless and feel abandoned. An elderly who has just entered a new environment will find it difficult to adapt. This requires adaptation and adjustment to conditions in nursing homes in order to feel safe and comfortable. This is where the role of nurses in nursing homes is needed, nurses must be able to help the elderly to adapt to the nursing home environment by building a good relationship with the elderly. According to Havifi (2014) in his research, good interpersonal communication is important in the interactions carried out by nurses with the elderly. Good communication between nurses and the elderly is needed to form good relationships, closeness, trust, openness, and comfort for the elderly in everyday life.