In the morning the Carer would ask short, simple questions to the client e.g. ‘how are you feeling today?’ or ‘what would you like to wear today?’ The purpose of this was to inform the Carer of any special requirements the client needed if they were feeling ill or were not feeling at themselves. It also meant the client could openly discuss about what’s wrong with them and these questions also prompted quieter clients to speak about their thoughts or feelings to the Carer. It allowed the client a freedom of choice to decide what type of clothing to wear and this ensured they felt comfortable with their appearance and increased their self-esteem. Also, the canteen staff asked each client ‘What choice of meals would you like today?’ and they would explain the available options to the client. The purpose of this was to enquire which foods the client liked and it also meant their choice was valued as the canteen staff could make some alterations to the foods offered on the menu. This is extremely important as the canteen staff may have to address specific dietary requirements e.g. various meals to fit a vegetarians diet and to make sure they receive adequate amount of nutrients so as not to cause dietary disorders such as anaemia.
If a client had an accident or spillage e.g. if they wet themselves, the Carer would lower her voice to maintain privacy and this therefore avoided embarrassment of the client. Hence, the client’s dignity and self-confidence were maintained. If the client became annoyed or upset regarding the accident, the Carer would calm the client down by reassurance e.g. ‘it’s not your fault’, ‘it was just an accident’ or ‘don’t worry about it, we can change you into clean clothes’. In addition, their physical needs were addressed immediately as the client was not left in wet clothes.
During the day time, a volunteer would come in and entertain the clients in the ‘Day room’ e.g. the clients would have a singing session once a day. The purpose of this was to keep the clients content and occupied throughout the day so as not to cause boredom. It also brought the clients closer together and strengthened their relationship with each other as they could engage in the same taste of music as others e.g. they sang ‘a long way to Tipperary’. This created a friendly atmosphere and some of the quieter clients became involved and sang this well known song. The purpose of singing was also to share interests or experiences related to different songs from years ago and it also allowed clients to express themselves freely through the use of music. In the ‘Day room’ clients were given the opportunity to socially interact with others through other activities e.g. chess, bingo, crosswords or quizzes. This enabled clients to get to know other individuals personalities and characters.
Each client struggled to manoeuvre around the residential home and Carers would have to say ‘You have to walk slowly or you will fall and break your bones’ in a very slow and steady pace. The purpose of this was to make sure the client could understand what the Carer was saying and ensured the client could follow through on the Carer’s instructions. The Carer spoke clearly and coherently and did not shout at the client and this meant the client did not feel under pressure to obey the instructions.
I noticed the Carers complimented clients and maintained a positive attitude towards them which raised their self-confidence. The Carer did not contradict them and agreed with the client which created a happy atmosphere as the client received a lot of praise. The purpose of this was to make the client’s stay enjoyable and it made it easier for them to return to the residential home as they looked forward to it. Similarly, the Carers used a low tone of voice whilst speaking politely to the client and they also varied their tone of voices when reading stories to the clients or listening to them which conveyed interest. They did not use firm or stern voices as this would portray authority over the client and the client was able to decide on their own thoughts and express their opinions in an open environment.
Non-verbal communication
Non-verbal communication was used regularly along with speech in the residential home. Non-verbal communication was vital for vulnerable clients who had disabilities such as blindness, speech difficulties or deafness. The Carer used gentle touch on the blind client and the purpose of this was to make the client aware of the Carer’s presence. The Carer also held the clients hand to direct the client to their allocated room or if they wanted to go to the toilet or ‘Day room’. Thus, allowing the client to participate in activities with others and therefore they were treated and respected equally as everyone else. Another example of gentle touch was when the Carer gently shook the client to wake up. The purpose of this was to alert the client that it was time to get up and therefore they adapted to the morning routine.
The volunteer used various forms of facial expressions when reading the newspaper aloud to the clients in the ‘Day room’. This portrayed the message of the story and conveyed emotions to the clients e.g. there was a horrific story and the volunteer would widen her eyes or open her mouth to demonstrate that it was a shocking story. The purpose of this was to keep clients up-to-date in current affairs and the volunteer expressed the story in simpler terms which enabled each individual to interpret and understand the information more easily.
One final form of non-verbal communication used in the setting was eye contact. It was observed that all Carers within the residential home used eye contact frequently when they were speaking to the clients. An example of this was when a Carer was speaking to a client on a chair and she bent down to the client’s eye level which made the client feel at ease and it encouraged the client to fully engage in conversation. This meant the client felt that the Carer was actively listening to her and she could open up more easily as the Carer displayed great interest by maintaining eye contact and leaning forward.
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rebeccaburns732hotmailcouk (student)
