News & Views

Serving with Sensitivity

One common mistake made by those not involved in care is mixing up caring with servitude. Thinking that being a carer is like being a servant and that somehow it makes the carer a second class citizen of some kind.

This is of course is a long way from the truth, but the relationship between the carer and the client is a very complex one that does always carries the risk of a misunderstanding.

For most, if not all, clients having a carer is not a willing choice - it is a choice they have been forced to make. Often the decision is between care in the home or a care home. In the eyes of many clients, having a carer come into their home is the lesser of two evils.

Make no mistake, for an adult who been independent all of their life, to suddenly have to depend on someone else to assist with some very basic needs, is at best uncomfortable and at worst humiliating.

With this in mind, another mistake can be made - that the carer is the boss and the client has to be careful what they say to make sure they get good care. This is of course, also, very wrong.

It is important at the outset to develop the client's understanding of this new relationship in their lives. This is a co-operative partnership with both parties working together to ensure the client can still retain the maximum independence, in the most fulfilling way, possible.

Although mobility issues have a common thread running through them for every client, it is important to remember that each person is an individual with an extensive life history.

It may be the majority of elderly clients have been born at a similar time, but it is their life history that dictates their world view.

Someone who has remained single all of their lives will not necessarily view the world in the same way as someone with children and grandchildren.

To offer sensitive care means not just looking at the physical situation, but looking at the person as a whole. If the objective is helping the person to live as full a life as possible, it has to be on terms that make sense to them. The sports fan may live for going to a home football game every two weeks, but someone else may prefer a trip out to an art gallery.

To get to the right solution for the client that reflects their capabilities, their aspirations, the care they are paying for and what is physically possible, is a challenging balancing act. Being sensitive means working with the client to find the right mix.

Compromises will be required, but a sensitive approach will allow the client to get the most from their life they can - given the circumstances they find themselves in.

So yes, the carer provides a service, but the sensitive carer is a facilitator. Someone helping the client get the most they can from their life and providing hope and opportunity for the future.