Communication in Adult Social Care Settings College

Ai. Identify four different reasons why people communicate
To express needs and emotions.
To ask questions.
To give information.
To socialise and build relationships.

Aii. Describe two ways how effective communication can affect relationships in an adult social care setting between individuals using the service, their carers, colleagues, and other practitioners. Effective communication builds stronger relationships, meaning people are more open to expressing their needs and feelings. This means that individuals using the service will be more comfortable in explaining what help they do/do not require. Effective communication between carers, colleagues and other practitioners means that information discussed between them will be understood fully and will result in a better continuity of care for individuals using the service.

Aiii. Using the table below, Identify 3 ways of finding out the communication needs of an individual. For each method, describe how effective it is at establishing the needs of the individual.

Method
How effective is this method?
Ask/Observe the individual.
Very effective, nobody knows the service user and their needs better than themselves. Observing them, you can see the way they communicate with others, and which ways work better than others. Look at their care plan.

Their care plan would have been made with the involvement of themselves and/or the people closest to them to establish all their needs, it should highlight their preferences in all aspects of their care. Family/Friends of individual.

Next to themselves, family and friends know the individuals best, they will spend a lot of time with the person, communicating continuously.

Aiv. Describe three factors to consider when promoting effective communication Verbal
Non-Verbal
Environmental Factors

Av. Describe three verbal and three non verbal communication methods and styles that a social care worker may use in an adult care setting. Verbal
Non Verbal
Language (different languages, slang, jargon)
Pictures
Tone of Voice (does it suit the subject)
Facial/Hand Gestures
Speed and Pronunciation of speech (too fast, not clear, mumbling) Written Information

Avi. Explain why it is important to respond to an individual’s reactions during communication It is important to respond in order to show that you are listening, understanding and how you feel about what they are communicating, and to establish their level of understanding and how they feel about what you are communicating.

Avii. Explain how an individual’s background can influence the way they communicate If two people are brought up in different countries they may speak different languages, therefore they would not be able to hold a verbal conversation, and may have to turn to a different way of communicating such as pictures. In some cultures, children and/or women are restricted in who they speak to e.g. Women may not speak to Men outside of their family. This will mean that they would need to communicate only to other women.

Aviii. Identify three examples of barriers to communication and explain how you could overcome each barrier. Barrier
How it can be overcome
Background noise (TV, Radio, outside-road traffic/people in another room) Turn of any TV’s or radios.
Close any windows/doors against outside noise.
Speak louder, but not shouting
Speech (stutter, slur, accent)
Take time when speaking.
Speak as clearly as possible.
Ask them to repeat what they said or confirm if you heard correctly. Use of jargon/slang
Stop using slang.
Use layman’s terms, not jargon

Aix. Describe two strategies that you could use to clarify misunderstandings. Try to explain in another way.
Use somebody else to try and explain in a different way, such as family/friends.

Ax. A social care worker wants to enable more effective communication with individuals using the service. Explain how they could access extra support or services that may be helpful. Reduce as much background noise and distractions as possible. Ensure any aids needed to help communication are there. These could be pictures, signs or symbols, an interpreter/translator if there is a language barrier, or any hearing aids/glasses the individuals may need.

Task B – Case Study

You are a social care worker, and a service user, Hannah, tells you she is unhappy taking her new medication. She thinks she does not need it and so is throwing it away. You know from her care plan that Hannah does need to take the medication regularly and gets confused. Hannah begs you to keep it confidential and not tell anyone, especially her daughter, who she sees regularly, as her daughter will be very angry.

Bi. How would you explain the term ‘confidentiality’ to Hannah? Confidentiality means that unless the individual that the information is about gives consent, any information about someone can only be passed on to those who need to know it. For example, a doctor may need to know what medication you are taking so they can help you, but your neighbour doesn’t need to know.

Bii. Describe the possible tensions that may arise between telling others of Hannah’s decision and keeping this information totally confidential. The information Hannah disclosed would need to be passed on to others involved in her care such as her Doctor and other care workers. If they mentioned the information to Hannah’s daughter, then it may cause Hannah to lose trust in you and become reluctant to disclose any more important information to you. It could also cause friction in Hannah’s relationship with her daughter as Hannah mentioned that her daughter would be very angry if she found out.

Biii. Describe ways to maintain confidentiality in day to day communication Make sure that any information passed on is needed, and that the person receiving it has a right to know it. If you are using the situation as an example to help someone else understand something, don’t say anything that can be used to connect that information back to the individual involved. For example instead of saying Mrs Jones refused to take her medication, this is what we did.. you could say I once worked with someone who refused to take their medication, this is what we did.. Also if you are unsure if the information is acceptable to be passed on to someone, seek advice.

Biv. Explain when and how a social care worker should get advice about confidentiality. A social worker should seek advice as soon as possible if they have any questions relating confidentiality. They can find information about confidentiality by looking at the Data protection act 1998, the policies and procedures of their work place, or they can speak to their managers, supervisors, or other senior colleagues.