I transmitted this value by letting Amy choose the story herself. I showed interest and agreed to the things Amy was saying. For example when Amy said she doesn’t like crocodiles I responded by saying “Neither do I.” I also praised Amy e.g. when I said “Well done!” I do think it is important to praise children as it can help a child develop a positive self-concept and improve their self confidence. Also, praise “helps children to boost self-esteem and can increase occurrence of desirable behaviour” (Helen Orvaschel, 2001, Page 115).
When I didn’t share the same view as Amy, I still made sure she knew I respected her view by giving her a positive comment. For example, when Amy said “The best colour is green” I responded by saying “I like green too but my favourite colour is red.” This response would have not lowered her self-esteem as I still gave her a positive response but also gave my own view. This also shows I maintained the care value base by respecting the views of the service user and as Morrison suggested, “To show respect, one believes that all children are capable of learning and making self-judgements” (Marjorie J. Kostelnik, 2002, Page 23).
Throughout the conversation I tried to use more open questions rather than closed question because closed questions limit the answers that can be given and don’t lead on to discussion. For example, when I did ask Amy a closed question such as “Would you like me to read you a story?” She only replied “Yes.” The question didn’t really give her the opportunity to expand her answer. However when I asked her a open question e.g. “What’s your favourite fruit?” she replied by saying her favourite fruit but then went on to expand her answer.
I used non-verbal communication as well as verbal communication with Amy. The non-verbal communication included things like nodding, facial expressions and eye contact. When speaking to Amy I made sure I was at her level by bending down when she was sat on the floor and sitting on the children’s sofa with her, therefore she didn’t have to look up at me making it more easy and comfortable for her. Also, my body posture was not too laid-back but I made sure I looked relaxed and open. I kept my voice calm and soft and made sure I was not rushing the story as this would have indicated that I was not interested. Our voice tone is known as a “paralinguistic feature” (Vennelanti Prakāśam, 1999, Page 1).
There were not many barriers to effective communication in this interaction. Even though it took place in the playroom where other children were playing, I and Amy were in the story corner which was not so noisy. Amy didn’t have any visual or hearing disabilities, therefore we understood each other easily and clearly. This interaction was not under time pressure and there were no emotional barriers present, as Amy was not shy speaking to me and seemed very comfortable around me. However near the end of the interaction, there was a point where I stopped reading but Amy pointed to the book indicating she wanted me to carry on reading. This suggests she may have not wanted me to stop and talk to her, which prevented me from building the conversation further.
Overall, I found this interaction much easier than the group interaction with the children because I only had to concentrate on the one individual. I belief that I have encouraged Amy to develop a positive self-concept, as I constantly praised her and gave positive responses to the things she said and I think this will give her the ability to become a strong individual.
This interaction has shown me that if I was to do a one-to-one interaction with a young child again but in a different context such as drawing or making cards, I would still have to behave in a similar manner. All children need to be encouraged, praised, given choices and be respected for their views.
Interaction 3
My third interaction was a group interaction again but it took place in a different care setting, residential home, and it was with a group of older people instead of children. The full interaction is shown as appendix 5. A care co-ordinator observed my interaction and signed a witness statement that I wrote, which is shown as appendix 6 (Page 22) and the full interaction is shown as appendix 5 (Pages 20, 21, 22 & 23).
One of the carers at the residential home told me that a few of the residents enjoy playing dominos, therefore I thought that dominos would be an appropriate group activity. I went into the main room were nine residents were sat. I made sure I looked friendly and was very smiley. I gave eye contact to all the residents and asked “Does anyone fancy a game of dominos?” My voice was calm and I didn’t speak too fast or too slow. However I did have to speak a bit loud as a carer told me that some of the residents have hearing problems. This shows that I have transmitted value, as I gave the residents a choice. I did not pick who I wanted to play and do the interaction with, therefore I was not discriminating any of them on the basis of gender or race. I chose the game dominos, as I was told most of them enjoyed playing it, therefore I gave them the opportunity to play something they like. Providing choices for service users will enable them to feel in control of their lives. It is important to “make sure that people are able to make choices and take control over as much of their lives as possible.” This is referred to as empowerment (Yvonne Nolan, 2005, Page 167) .This applies especially to older people as they are capable of making the rights choices for themselves but children may need another individual such as a parent to make the right choice for them as they are not as mature as the elderly.
I managed to exchange some verbal communication with Jane, Sally and Gail. I also verbally communicated with Mary but she only communicated non-verbally with me. The main non-verbal communication me and Mary used was smiling, pointing and facial expressions. For example, when it was Mary’s turn but I didn’t help her straight away, she turned to me indicating she needed my help, therefore I helped her. I still tried to encourage independence in Mary as much as I could by not choosing the dominos I thought was best to play with but showing which dominos she could play with so that she could choose herself. I think I did as much as I could to encourage independence in Mary and I was aware of her rights and I only helped as much as I thought was necessary. This again shows me transmitting value. Bryant (Deborah Belle, 1999, Page 10) suggested that “children as well as adults need experiences of independence.”
I think I communicated well throughout the activity and kept my language formal because formal language can give the message that you have respect for the person you are communicating with. Before we actually began the activity I introduced myself because they should have the right to know who I am. Again, I have changed all the residents’ names for confidentiality reasons, showing me transmitting value.
The most common communication I used in this interaction was eye contact. We played for several minutes without exchanging any verbal communication but just giving each other good eye contact. The women did take a bit longer than me to play but I showed respect for their needs and was very patient. I didn’t show ant signs of muscle tension. My face muscles were relaxed showing that I didn’t mind waiting for them and they should take as much time as they need. This demonstrates that I had good interpersonal interaction skills.
Overall I think we communicated well as a group and everyone showed respect for each other. For example, the other knew Mary needed help and were very respectful and patient while I helped her. We all understood the different needs everyone has and no one didn’t seem powerless in the group and I think Mary knew she needed help but she still had the power to choose which domino she played with. Even though Mary didn’t communicate with me verbally I would say that we communicated the most within the group. However we did not ignore the other group members and still communicated well with them. There was no conflict in the group, therefore Tuckman’s “storming stage” of group formation did not occur. There was a lot of respect as no one interrupted or spoke over another person.
There were no barriers to communication. All our voices were soft and calm and no one had to repeat what they said, indicating there were no hearing disabilities. Thompson refers to our voice tone as “Paralanguage” (Mark Lymbery, 2005, Page 142). Everyone seemed happy playing the game suggesting there were also no emotional barriers present such as tiredness. However when the game was over and Jane won I said “Well done Jane.” I think this may have sounded patronising.
This interaction has shown me that in order to communicate effectively in a group members need to understand and respect other peoples’ needs, as demonstrated in this interaction we were all aware that each of us had different needs and respected that. Good listening skills are also required for a group to communicate effectively and no discrimination should take place so that group members can feel comfortable in the group and a sense of worth. By doing this interaction I have realised that these issues need to be considered when doing other group activities in different contexts such as mealtimes or shopping trips.
Interaction 4
This interaction took place in the same residential home where I did my group interaction with the older women. It was with an old woman which I will be referring to as Marge. Again, a care co-ordinator observed my interaction and signed a witness statement that I wrote, which is shown as appendix 8 (Page 27) and the full interaction is shown as appendix 7 (Pages 24, 25 & 26).
The interaction took place in the sitting room of the residential home. There were other residents sat in the same room and the televisions were on. However it was still very quite, as the others didn’t speak much and the televisions were turned down.
When I arrived at the residential home, one of the carers showed me to the sitting room and told me that Marge knew I was coming. I walked to the back of the sitting room where Marge was sat. We both gave each other eye contact and smiled. In 1984 McGrath suggested that “smiling indicates friendliness” (Edward F. Fern, Page 84). Marge looked like she was expecting me and looked very pleased to see me. When Marge was speaking I made sure I didn’t lose eye contact with her to show that I was listening to her, as Ainsworth suggested that “eye contact is an important way of communicating both interest and intention” (Peter B. Ainsworth, 2002, page 14).
I sat on a chair that was next Marge. I was aware of my body posture and made sure I was not facing her directly as it could be very uncomfortable for her. I sat at a slight angle and Marge also turned to me so she was sat at a slight angle too. Sitting at a slight angle creates a more relaxed and friendly feeling (Neil Moonie, Page 36).
I started the conversation by introducing myself and I straight away showed an interest in Marge by asking her how she was. It is important to show that you have an interest in the person you are communicating with, as it can make them feel valued and increase their self-esteem. I also nodded while Marge was talking as it shows the person that you can hear them and understand them. As suggested by Klawitter “Nodding your head communicates understanding” (Bridget M. Klawitter, 2007, Page 92). I also tried to make the conversation about her experiences rather than mine.
I was aware of Marge’s Body language and facial expressions. For example when she said her husband died 10 years ago, she lost eye contact with me. I was aware she was upset and showed sympathy for her, and then I moved on with the conversation to take her mind of the death of her husband. When she looked at the television, towards the end of the interaction, I realised she was interested in the film that was starting and therefore I decided to end the conversation showing that respected what Marge wanted. This shows me transmitting value.
Overall I think this interaction went quite well. There were no barriers to communication but I think the television was a distraction. In order for this communication to have been more effective it could have took place in a more private room away from the other residents and the televisions. With the other residents being present in the same room Marge may have been restricted to the thinks she could have spoke to me about, as she may have not felt comfortable with the others listening and the presence of the carer may have also made her feel uncomfortable.
From this interaction I have learnt that good social skills, listening skills and being aware of other peoples needs is essential for effective communication to take place in any care setting with one person. For example, communicating with someone who has learning difficulties will also require these skills for effective communication. When communicating with others people need to be open minded and understand that others may have different beliefs and values from their own and transmit values by respecting the other person.
Comparisons
By doing four different interactions I have realised that they all differed from one another. Below I have described how communicating was different in the group and one-to-one situations at the two different care settings.
Both of my one-to-one interactions were not that personal as there were other people around us in both of the care settings. I found communicating with Amy much easier than with Marge because I didn’t have to use as much interpersonal skills and me and Amy were communicating indirectly through the story, which made the interaction easier for me because I could base it on an activity we were doing. But my interaction with Marge was more direct as we weren’t talking about one particular topic and I didn’t do an activity with Marge unlike with my other three interactions. This made it harder for me as I couldn’t base the interaction on something we were doing.
Out of all the interactions, I would say that the one-to-one with Marge was the most personal. Even though there were other people sat around us, she still spoke about her experiences but with the other three interactions the conversations were based on an activity and did not involve anyone speaking about their personal life. This interaction also required me to use the most eye contact to show an interest and only for a short while eye contact was lost between us but the other three interactions did not require as much eye contact because we were also focusing on the activity we were doing.
Both of the group interactions required eye contact to be shared between members of the group and I had to make sure that all members of the group got the same opportunities. But with the one-to-one interactions I only had to concentrate on the needs of one individual.
In the group interaction with the children, I had to take more control than in the group interaction with the older women. With the children I had to make sure they all felt equal and took turns, whereas this was not much of an issue with the older women because they understood the importance of turn-taking and showed respect for each other.
The interaction with Amy required me to ask lots of questions in order for Amy to talk to me because she was listening to the story, therefore I had to involve her to give her the opportunity to speak. But the interaction with Marge involved both of us asking each other questions and Marge responded in much more detail than Amy because Marge only had to focus on the conversation rather than an activity as well.
Both of the interactions with the children involved me praising them. When the children were praised they looked very pleased with themselves and I believe this increased their self-esteem because they knew they did something good. However, in the group interaction with the women, when I praised Mary for winning, she didn’t look as if she appreciated it because she didn’t give me any positive facial expressions. From this I have realised that older women view praise as patronising, whereas children enjoy being praised.
Methods
As explained below I have used both primary and secondary sources of evidence.
Participant observations are the primary sources which were used for all four interactions. The reason why I used participant observation was because the service users would not know that I am observing their behaviour, therefore it prevented the service users from communicating in a way they thought I would have liked them to communicate with me or other members of the group in the group situations. Whereas if I used a video recorder to gather evidence, then it may have influenced their behaviour and prevented them from showing who they really are, as they may have felt uncomfortable with being recorded. The internet and Books were the secondary sources I used to support verbal and non-verbal communication.
However, the participant observation method has limitations. It relies on memory, as notes have to be made after the interactions are finished. Therefore it’s very likely that some detail may have been forgotten. There is also the possibility that the observer may be biased in the recall of how she/he perceived the event.
I believe that validity is high in this report as witness statements are included for all four interactions.
Evaluation
This report shows that I have successfully carried out four different interactions, two group interactions and two one-to0ne interactions, which took place in two different care settings.
I covered some barriers to communication but there were many barriers that were not experienced in these interactions. For example, language, cultural differences, visual disabilities, labelling and stereotyping. There is the possibility that any of these barriers can occur in both of the care setting I visited, depending on the service user. For example in the day nursery the staff labelled this boy as “naughty” if I did my interaction with him my communication with him may have been restricted because I already had a negative view of the little boy due to labelling. Because not all barriers to communication were experienced in my interactions I was unable to demonstrate how to overcome certain barriers. Such as, the use of translators or advocates, technological aids, understanding different cultures and appreciating that others have different values and beliefs from yourself.
It was not possible for my interactions to cover all types of communication. The types of communication that were not covered in my interactions were Braille, signed languages, signs and symbols and electronic and written communication. The reason for this is because they were not essential for effective communication to take place between me and the service users. However many forms of interpersonal communication were demonstrated and discussed.
All four of my interactions show knowledge of the care value base, transmission of values and effective communication. An area which was not covered in detail in this report is the importance of legislation. However I did mention the importance of anti-discrimination and ethical issues such as confidentiality but the safeguard legislations such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and Data protection Act 1998, which relate to these issues, were not explained.
As stated in the Methods section of this report, the participant observation method is biased and it relied on my memory, meaning that there is the possibility that some detail may have been lost or falsely recorded. However this was the best method for me to use, as explained in the methods section. The main secondary sources used in this report were the internet and a variety of books but I could have also used other secondary sources such TV documentaries or the news.
Conclusions
The main conclusion from this report is that one needs to have an awareness of the communication skills needed in order to communicate effectively and know the importance of transmitting the values of the care value base when communicating with service users.
All four interactions that I undertook demonstrated that in order for effective communication to take place, people need to have an understanding of the care value base and take into consideration the rights of service users, confidentiality, discrimination, empowerment and apply an understanding of effective communication. Care practitioners need to transmit the value of the care value base when communicating with service users. They also need to have knowledge of both verbal and non-verbal communication.
If one doesn’t understand the process of communication, the care value base and the transmission of these values then it’s very unlikely that effective communication will take place. My interactions have shown the importance of things like body posture, facial expressions, eye contact and listening skills. Further, the use of formal and informal language, open or closed questions as well as voice tone need to all be taken into consideration.
My group interactions have pointed out the importance of making sure that each member of the group has the same opportunities and plays a role in the group. The group interactions have also shown the need to respect and not discriminate against other members in order for communication within the group to be effective. An understanding of how groups form and knowing the features of groups is also useful as demonstrated in the analysis and interpretations of my report.
The barriers to communication must be considered as demonstrated with my interactions and having knowledge of how to overcome barriers to communication is also essential. When communicating with service users you need to be self-monitoring to ensure that you don’t offend them when communicating either verbally or non-verbally with them and you need to be able to demonstrate good communication skills in different contexts.
Bibliography
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Bridget M. Klawitter (2007), Nutrition Therapy Advanced Counseling skills,
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Deborah Belle (1999), The After-School Lives of Children, Associates
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Geoffrey Moss (1995), The Basics Of Special Needs,
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Helen Orvaschel, Jan Faust, Michel Hersen (2001), Handbook of Conceptualization and Treatment of Child Psychopathology,
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Jon Warner (2002), Listening Effectiveness,
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Linda L. Dunlap (2004), What All Children Need,
- Marjorie J. Kostelnik (2002), Guiding Children’s Social Development, Thomson Delmar Learning
- Mark Lymbery (2005), Social Work With Older People, SAGE
- Neil Moonie (2000), GNVG Intermediate Health and Social Care, Heinemann
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Peter B. Ainsworth (2002), Psychology and Policing,
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Vennelanti Prakāśam (1999), Semiotics of Language, Literature And Culture,
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Yvonne Nolan (2003), Induction and Foundation Care for the Topss Standards, Heinemann
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Yvonne Nolan (2005), Health & Social Care (adults), Heinemann
Appendices
Appendix 1: interaction 1, group interaction with a group of children in a day nursery
This interaction took place in a day nursery with a group of children. The children were aged 3-4 years. The group consisted of one boy and three girls. I have changed their names to Henry, Kayleigh, Erika and Matilda.
All the children were sat on the floor playing with musical instruments. I approached them with a smile on my face.
Adela: Hi, can I play with you?
Matilda: Yes, have this, I’m going to play with tambourine.
Matilda stood up and gave me a toy guitar. She then took a tambourine from the toy box.
Adela: Thank you, that’s nice of you
I sat on the floor next to the children, I made sure that I didn’t sit too close to any of the children and my body posture was open and relaxed.
I played a sound on the guitar.
Adela: Did you like that sound?
In order for me to sound friendly I kept my voice tone soft and calm through out the conversation.
Henry: Yes
Matilda: Yes
And the other two girls nodded.
Adela: Who wants to play their instrument first for me then?
Henry: Me!
Henry played sounds on his toy guitar while the other children and I listened.
Once he finished, he looked at me and smiled looking pleased with himself.
I smiled back.
Adela: Well done! That was lovely Henry.
I made eye contact with the other three children.
Adela: Who wants to go next then?
Kayleigh started to play her toy flute.
When she stopped she smiled at me looking a bit shy.
I smiled back.
Adela: That was great Kayleigh!
I made eye contact with Erika and Matilda.
Adela: Which one of you…..?
I was going to say “which one of you wants to go next?” but Henry interrupted.
Henry: Listen to me.
I looked over to Henry.
Adela: You have had your turn. Shall we let Erika and matilda have their turn then you can play your piano again.
Henry ignored me and started to play his piano. So we all listened to Henry again. When he stopped I praised him again.
Adela: Well done.
He then started to play his piano again.
Adela: Henry, shall we let Erika and Matilda have their turn?
He ignored me.
I turned to Erika and Matilda.
Adela: Right then who wants to go first?
Erika smiled.
Erika: Me.
Erika played her tambourine and rocked her body side to side. Matilda then joined in with Erika playing her tambourine too. They were both laughing. I smiled at them and rocked side to side with them to show an interest.
Adela: You two are great!
I looked over at Kayleigh who was sat quietly.
Adela: do you like the sound their instrument makes?
Kayleigh didn’t say anything she just smiled at me. I smiled back.
A staff member then said “its time to tidy up everyone” the children began to do this.
Appendix 3: interaction 2, one-to-one interaction in a day nursery
This interaction was between me and a three year old girl, which I will refer to as Amy. It took place in the story corner of the playroom in a day nursery.
Amy was sat by herself on the floor. I approached her and bent down so that I was at her level.
Adela: Hello, would you like me to read you a story?
Amy nodded.
Adela: which story do you want me to read to you?
Amy stood up and ran over to the story corner. I followed her to the story corner and sat on the children’s sofa. Once Amy chose a book she sat next to me.
I made sure that I was not sat too close to Amy so that she had her personal space.I sat at a slight angle and my body posture was relaxed and open.
Adela: Lets have a look which story you have chosen then.
Amy handed me the book.
Adela: Arnie, the accidental hero
We both gave each other eye contact.
Amy: I like Arnie.
Adela: I don’t know Arnie but he looks very nice and I do like the colour he is. What colour do you like the best?
Amy smiled.
Amy: My best colour is green!
Adela: I like green too but my favourite colour is red. Right, shall I start the story now?
Amy: Yes.
I read a couple of pages then pointed to the bananas in the book.
Adela: I love bananas. What’s your favourite fruit?
Amy smiled.
Amy: Bananas. Monkeys eat bananas and they jump around loads.
Adela: that’s right, well done!
Amy looked down at the book so I carried on reading. Again, I stopped after a couple of pages and pointed to a snake in the book.
Adela: What noises do snakes make, do you know?
Amy nodded.
Amy: Hisssss
We both laughed.
Adela: Well done!
I then carried on with the story. After a couple of pages I stopped again. I pointed to the corner of the page, where just a part of a crocodiles head was showing.
Adela: What do you think this is?
Amy looked down at the book and then looked at me.
Amy: A crocodile.
Adela: Shall we have a look?
Amy nodded.
I turned the page.
Adela: you’re right, it’s a crocodile, well done!
Emily laughed looking pleased with herself. She then pointed to the words in the book indicated she wanted me to read further so I carried on reading until the end of the story.
Adela: the end. Did you enjoy that?
Amy laughed.
Amy: Yes.
She looked around the room and then walked off and went to play with the other children.
Appendix 5: interaction 3, group interaction with a group of older women in a residential home
This interaction took place in a residential home. I interacted with a group of four older women while playing a game of dominos. The names of the four women have been changed to Mary, Jane, Sally and Gail. All four women volunteered to play and they knew each other.
We moved to the dining room and sat around a circle table. We were not sat too close together and I made sure I looked relaxed and my body posture was open.
Once everyone was seated and comfortable, I introduced myself.
I smiled and gave them all eye contact.
Adela: Hello, my name is Adela and I will be spending the day here today.
Jane smiled.
Jane: It’s lovely having new people to visit. Right lets get started.
Jane emptied the dominos out onto the table and started to turn them over so that the numbers weren’t showing. We all joined in and helped Jane.
When all the dominos were turned over, Sally gave us all eye contact.
Sally: The young girl should give them a mix
Adela: Yes, good idea.
I mixed the dominos.
Jane: I used to be able to move my hands that fast when I was younger.
Jane laughed and everyone else laughed too.
I stopped mixing the dominos.
Adela: There we go, I think that should do.
Gail: Do we all pick seven?
Jane: Yes, seven.
We all chose seven dominos each and stood them up facing ourselves.
Jane looked over at Mary who was sat next to me. Mary was struggling to stand her dominos up.
Jane gave me eye contact.
Jane: Help Mary dear, would you?
I looked over at Mary and realised she did need help.
Adela: Oh yes of course.
I stood her dominos up for her and then returned to do mine. I learnt Mary had Alzheimer’s disease, therefore I helped her play.
Sally: Who has the double six.
Gail placed a double six at the centre of the table.
Jane: We will go clockwise, so its your turn now Sally.
Sally took a moment to think. She then placed her domino on the table.
It was Jane’s turn now. She looked down at the dominos on thetable.
Jane: I need a six or a three.
I gave Jane eye contact and pointed at the domino on the table she mistaken for a three.
Adela: this is a two Jane, so you need a six or a two.
Jane looked back down at the table and laughed.
Jane: Oh it is thank you dear.
She placed her domino on the table. Now it was my turn, I placed my domino on the table and now it was Mary’s turn. Mary looked confused and didn’t know what to do.
Mary and I gave each other eye contact.
Adela: You need a five or a six.
Mary still didn’t know what to do all the others were patient.
Adela: You can play with…..
I pointed to the dominos she could play with. Mary then chose which domino she wanted to play with and gave it to me so I placed it on the table for her.
Mary smiled me and I smiled back.
We went round a couple of times without exchanging and verbal communication but we all gave each other eye contact and I carried on to help Mary in the same way.
It was my turn.
Adela: Oh, I cant go.
Gail: Can you not.
Adela: No, so it’s Mary’s turn now.
This time I didn’t help Mary straight away as I thought she may have got the hang of it now bur she gave me eye contact indicating she still needed my help, therefore I showed Mary which dominos she could play with then she chose the one she wanted to play and handed it to me. I placed it on the table for her.
We were all left with one or two dominos now.
It was Gail’s turn.
Gail shook her head.
Gail: I can’t go.
Sally shook her head
Sally: I can’t go either.
We all gave each other eye contact.
Adela: Has anyone got a blank or a five?
Jane: it’s me, I have won.
Jane smiled looking very happy.
We all smiled at Jane looking pleased for her.
Adela: Well done Jane, I enjoyed that.
Sally: Yes it was a good game.
Gail started to put the dominos back into the box I helped her. Jane, Mary and Sally made their way back to the main room.
Gail and I gave each other eye contact.
Gail: I enjoyed that.
I smiled.
Adela: Me too.
Once the dominos were away Gail and I walked back to the main room.
Appendix 7: interaction 4, one-to-one interaction in a residential home
This interaction was a one-to-one with an old woman, which I will refer to as Marge. It took place in a residential home.
A carer at the home showed me to the sitting room and told me that Marge has been told that I was coming and showed me where Marge was sat. The sitting room was quite big with two televisions.
I looked over at Marge and smiled she smiled back. We both gave each other eye contact.
I sat on a chair next to Marge. My body was at a slight angle so I was not facing her directly. I made sure that my posture was open and relaxed. Marge turned so she was at a slight angle too.
Adela: Hello, I’m Adela
Marge: Hello, my name is Marge
Adela: Nice to meet you Marge. How are you today?
Marge: I’m good thank you, I was told another student would be coming in today, we have had a few, what school are you from or do you go college?
Adela: I’m at Joseph Wright College.
Marge: I don’t think we have had any students from there before. How long are you going to spend here?
Adela: Just two days, today and tomorrow. How long have you been here?
Marge: oh it’s been about 4 years now, I was at a home in alvaston for 5 years but that closed so I had to move here, it was a very nice home though.
Adela: Do you like it here?
Marge: Oh yes
I nodded
Marge: very good to us here. How old are you if you don’t mind me asking?
Marge looked very happy
Adela: No of course not, I’m 17
Marge smiled
Marge: oh that’s a lovely age to be at, you see I was a year older than you when I went in the army, where I spent 5 years, then I got married to a lovely man called Alfie, so I left the army as I would have only been able to visit home 3 times a year.
Adela: did you enjoy being in the army?
Marge smiled
Marge: oh yes, I enjoyed it ever so much. I would have stayed if I didn’t get married to my Alfie he was a lovely man, its 10 years this month since he has died.
Marge signs and looks away from me.
Adela: I’m sorry to here that.
Marge turns to look at me again.
Marge: Those things happen.
Marge looked a bit emotional, so I moved on with the conversation.
Adela: It’s really hot in here
Marge nodded
Marge: yes, you have not been here very long and you are already hot, it’s like this in my room as well and it can be really hard for me to fall asleep. I am going to complain to the manager when she gets better, she hasn’t been here for a couple of days because she’s ill.
Adela: I can’t sleep when it’s hot either, the radiator in my room is always turned off. Do you spend all your day in this room?
Marge sighed.
Marge: Pretty much so. I wake up at about 10, and then I come down to this room and watch television here until I don’t go to bed. I just move when I need the toilet and at meal times, which we have in the dining room which is just behind you.
A film was starting on the television, which caught Marge’s interest. I thought that Marge would want to watch the film so I decided to end the conversation.
I stood up. Marge gave me eye contact.
Marge: Are you going now dear?
Adela: Yes. I’m going to go now. It was nice chatting to you Marge.
Marge: Ok dear. I enjoyed chatting to you. I have got a film starting now which should keep me entertained until Lunch and it’s a nice change from watching property programmes I have had enough of them.
We both laughed.
Adela: Goodbye then Marge, I will see you tomorrow again.
Marge: Yes. Goodbye dear.
