Here is the second film in the Dignity in Care series focusing on communication. Our clip starts at 4 minutes and 7 seconds.
This film looks at the importance of communication through a variety of methods with clients, care workers and families. Good communication ensures our clients get to make choices about how they live, even if it is as simple as the jumper they prefer to wear on a particular day.
Catherine describes how to avoid overwhelming people, “A lot of our people have got dementia…. so sometimes what’s quite nice is to bring two or three things out and show it… and they will be able to point to what they like.”
People respond in different ways. As our care workers get to know their clients, they discover the best ways to communicate.
When someone is not cooperating, Catherine explains how “they sometimes respond to mirroring… you could actually start doing the movement [brushing their teeth] and they could pick up on that movement and start doing that themselves. There is no right or wrong way. It is about getting to know that person and what they respond to.”
We work closely with our care workers and keep in regular contact with the families of our service users. John explains, “From time to time you get new situations and you have really quite important judgement calls. Particularly when to call in other people’s help. But there is a lot of support and… if in doubt, pass the decision up [to care managers].”
Jean mentions visit record sheets in the film which our care workers use to write notes in about their visits. This allows us to keep track of the well-being of our clients and allows their families to stay up to date.
Good communication is key to providing the best care possible to our clients.
