Importance_of_Relationship_in_Receiving_Care

Care always involves a relationship between the person receiving care and the person providing care. How does the quality of that relationship affect the quality of the care given, as well as the experience of receiving care' This essay will look at the different types of care relationship settings and demonstrate the importance of the quality of the relationship and how it affects the quality of the care given as well as the experience of receiving care. I will give specific examples from case studies to demonstrate this. In a report on a two year evaluation of two direct payment scheme in Wales (Bornat, J 2008, chapter 8 pgs 65-69) participants said that the presence of trustworthy, sympathetic, dependable staff played a major role in helping them to come to terms with and manage their illness and that familiarity and empathy in the relationship was as important as the physical assistance they provided. Unfortunately not all clients have access to the Direct Payment system so it is important for carers to have the right skills and qualities that many clients single out as being of prime importance. Home care workers need a range of skills and have to draw the right line between being friendly and keeping people company, and being professional and doing their job in the time allowed in the care plan. Somebody Cares is a privately owned and managed home care agency. Several clients from Somebody Cares talked about the importance of having a good relationship with their carer. Lyn a client who is in a wheelchair but is a free agent and knows exactly what she wants commented that(K101, DVD Unit 3, Activity 7, Home Care the Client’s Perspective, Task 2, Video 3.5) ‘Marie is brilliant, good company, knows what she is doing, never rushes you, there is never enough she won’t do for you, she is so kind’ Lyn knows Marie is not a friend, that it is a professional relationship but she appreciates the fact they can have a laugh, it is a nice atmosphere and her carers know what she wants. Another client Aerwyn (K101, DVD Unit 3, Activity 7, Home Care the Client’s Perspective, Task 2, Video 3.4) is happy with his support worker Elvis but he sees Elvis as his friend. Elvis knows the boundary between friendship and work but knows it is important to Aerwyn to act as his friend so Elvis doesn’t wear his uniform when he is with him but is only his friend in working hours. Looking at care given by family members I will refer to the case study of Ann and Angus. Ann was caring for her stepfather who had Parkinsons disease (K101, Unit 1 Section 2.1-2.6 pp 25-37). Although Ann had a good relationship with Angus initially as Angus felt comfortable with her as the care developed out of a longstanding loving relationship and someone he could trust and who would be honest with him, Angus had always been a rather domineering figure and became impatient when his demands were not met immediately and as his health deteriorated Ann found she struggled to cope with the increasing demands which impacted on her health and prevented her from caring for Angus in a kind, sympathetic and empathic way. Angus required support, encouragement and practical assistance to retain sufficient control over important parts of his life and needed to feel worthy and be involved in decisions – an example of this was evident on the DVD (K101, DVD, Unit 1 Activity 1, Task 2, Audio 1.2 Tensions Round the TV) when he was watching the TV he reminded Ann and Bob that it is his house, his TV and his remote and that if they didn’t like what he was watching they could leave and pay for their own lodgings. Ann however was struggling to remain calm and focussed and could not deal with everyday tasks let alone find ways of supporting Angus to maximise his potential. Angus as a result experienced negative feelings about loss of independence and opportunities. When Ann received help from the home care worker Yetunde it made a difference. (K101,DVD, Unit 3, Activity 4, Task 1, Audio 3.3 A New Mood in the Family). This DVD Activity showed that Yetunde had helped to develop Angus’s potential by encouraging him to find ways of enjoying being a grandfather by interacting with Zoe when she showed him his cartoons. This had the effect of Angus feeling he had an important role in the household and was no longer just a burden. The practical help that Yetunde provided also had a large impact as she took away a lot of the pressure from Ann. We also saw on this DVD activity that Ann gained the expertise of a support network in Parkinsons which enabled her to acquire a stair lift for Angus and look at other options like respite care as well as taking an active role in helping Angus manage his condition by encouraging him to do exercises for instance. The additional support from Yetunde and the parkinsons support network reduced the physical and emotional demands for Ann in caring for Angus and as a result Ann became a lot calmer, and freed her up to spend more time with other members of her family with the impact of reducing the tensions in the house which had the knock on effect of improving Angus’s experience of receiving care as he felt more involved and even began to enjoy having Yetunde as additional support as he could see the positive impact it was having on his family’s happiness and the difference it was making to his life. In the case of Anwar (K101, Unit 2 Section 2.1-4.3 pp 74-107) we looked at health care provided in the community from a more formal medical care setting. Anwar discovered when he visited his GP that he was diabetic. Anwar relied on the health care professionals to communicate effectively with him on how to manage his condition and the importance of sticking to a regime. Whilst he was given leaflets, a kit for monitoring his blood glucose and the importance of diet and regular exercise explained, Anwar struggled to keep his glucose levels stable. This was because the leaflets were based on Western foods and didn’t fit in with his culture and his wife who didn’t have good English and as the one who did the cooking wasn’t able to understand the importance of the diet for Anwars well being. The support provided by the health professionals would have been easier had it been more culturally appropriate for both his diet and exercise regime and more support given on the importance of following it and taking his medication regularly. His wife could also have benefitted from visual and oral aids to enable her to assist Anwar to eat appropriately for his condition. Providing Anwar with information was a first step but opportunities for education in diabetes and for discussion of cultural factors would have helped him take control of his treatment programme better. When Anwar then had to have his leg amputated he was admitted to hospital. Whilst priority is given in hospitals to the biomedical model it was important for Anwar to receive the care from the Health Care Assistant to help him feel less alone in an alien environment. In conclusion the relationship between the person receiving the care and the person providing it is important. However it is not always possible for the client to build a relationship with their carer as frequent changes of staff or poorly trained staff can mean that the client does not get to know the workers or feel that they have the right skills, or attitudes that they need. It is therefore of crucial important to ensure a high quality of care as this can be the difference between a client developing and progressing, or deteriorating and feeling that they have been let down and cannot rely on anyone. Carer professionals need to provide all staff with a good induction and ongoing training to ensure high standards of care are met. (word count = 1315) Bornat, J, 2008, ‘Users Experience of Direct Payments’ in Johnston, J and DeSouza, C. 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