Different types of communication in care settings

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Different types of communication in care settings

We live in a world where communication is a vital process of day to day life. Without communication the world would be in turmoil people would be in pain, there would be no jobs because you wouldn't know what to do, there would most likely be more violence and the government would not be able to look after its country because there would be no government. In care settings such as care homes for the elderly, nurseries, schools it is essential for a communication plan that is understandable by the carers and also that the client can understand the carers. In day to day live we use the same communication skills but we don't have guides or rules to follow it is a natural process and we don't tend to care about how we communicate with friends or people because you them. Communication would be useless if the person you are talking to doesn't understand for any reason so communication needs to be a two way or more process where the people you are talking to understand you and can respond.

'Communication needs to be a two-way process whereby each person attempts to understand the viewpoint of the other.'

(Moonie 2005)

Health & Social care GCE AS level

This is where the communication cycle comes into place, this was developed to show how people listen and to use as a guide to whether the person you are trying to communicate with can understand you or is not listening.

(Moonie 2005)

Health & Social care GCE AS level

The four main types of communication used in care settings are verbal communication, non-verbal communication, visual communication and written communication. The way these skills are used changes from care setting to care setting but the same general rules and the way they affect the client are still the same. To build a professional relationship with a client or care user a care worker uses these skills to create a comfortable atmosphere and to show the client that he/she is interested in what that client has to say. This allows the client to feel comfortable with the carer meaning that the client will talk to the care worker, feel confident, relaxed and valued as a person. It is important to treat everyone as an individual not as a group, this is because not everyone needs or wants the same attention, it is important not to stereotype. This is when a person has a fixed way of thinking involving generalisations and the expectations about a certain group of people or issues.

Verbal communication is generally any method using the spoken word but in a care setting this includes the pitch of your voice the rhythm you speak the language you use the speed of your voice and the tone of your voice. This can be in a phone coversation in a meeting, talking to friends or people around you. In a care setting a care worker has to understand how to use these skills when talking to a client and how it can affect the client. For example in a care home for the elderly if a care worker was to talk to a client quickly in a loud voice with a fixed tone the client will feel that the carer is angry for some reason and may feel as if that carer is taking his/her anger out on them, so that client may withdraw from the care worker and probably not talk to the care worker resulting in that person feeling isolated and feel as if he/she cannot confide in that carer in the future with any problems or if the client wanted to tell the care worker of a health problem or general problem that problem may go untreated and end up fatal to the clients health or the client feeling isolated and think they are not worth the care. In a nursery or school if a teacher or classroom assitant was to again talk a child quickly in a loud voice with a fixed tone that child would feel that the carer is angry with them for no reason and will be upset and isolate from the rest or the group but if the child done something naughty and the carer spoke to the child in that way the child would know its done something wrong and will respond by apologising or trying to fix what he/she has done by trying to explain what happened, also in both settings a sharp tone may be associated with angry behaviour. In both settings a calm, slow voice with varing tones will send a message of being friendly this means that both care groups would respond in a nice way and will feel happy and cared for.
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'A good communicator...should be trustworthy, reliable and honest and most especially, a good listener'

(Wheal 1994)

Class notes 2005

These skills are used by the care workers to there advantage a care worker would also look out for these patterns and tones in the clients so that the carer would know whether the client is happy or not, then the carer can help the client by trying to understand and finding out what is wrong or what has upset that person and trying to help them. If a client was to have a flat tone ...

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