Explaining legal and ethical tensions between maintaining confidentiality and sharing information
Explain how to support effective communication within your own job role. Communication is constantly happening within the day care center and in my job role I have a responsibility to communicate with staff, service users and other professionals. I use various forms of communication but I also seek to make sure that it is understood. Communication has got to be understood before it can be effective and so I try to ensure comprehension when I am verbally speaking by getting staff to repeat what I have asked them to do. I also write simply worded memos and emails to ensure ease of comprehension.
When communicating with other professionals I speak clearly and seek affirmation when organizing meetings or planning events. I also seek to write in a legible manner if writing to professionals. Each service user has a communication book for reporting and informing families and carers of activities on a daily basis, these are written in a legible way also. Primarily when communicating with each individual service user I seek to communicate in an understandable way and at a level each individual will understand. The methods I employ are verbal, pictorial, object-based, physical prompts and signing.
Analyse the barriers and challenges to communication within own job role. Propose improvements to communication systems and practices to address any shortcomings. Lead the implementation of revised communication systems and practices. Barrier/Challenge. Explaination. How could it be improved? How have I improved it Deafness? Some of our service users have hearing loss and on occasions forget to bring their hearing aids to day care. This presents a severe communication challenge and barrier on these occasions.
Bring hearing aid in daily. I have written a request in service user’s communication book requesting that hearing aids are sent in daily and suggesting that a spare is obtained in the event that his current hearing aid is broken. Visual impairments mean that visual cues and prompts are meaningless and this includes signing. Glasses could be worn. I have requested that service users wear their glasses to aid with communication. I have adapted general approach to service users to compensate for blindness. No Speech/Speech Impediments. Some of our service users have poor speech or no speech at all. With these service users an alternative form of communication is required or an ability to listen intently and comprehend what they are saying. Picture/objects of reference.
A jotter and pen to spell difficult words.For some of our service users I have drawn together objects and photographs of reference and each one acts as a word of vocabulary and provides an ability to communicate effectively. For one of my service users I have encouraged him to spell out difficult words to understand. Comprehension. Some of our service users have profound learning disabilities and their level of comprehension and understanding is very limited, however they communicate constantly.
Alternative methods could be sought.One individual has been taught to “eye-point” at what she wants. Another gets quite restless and verbal when he is upset and smiles and giggles when happy. Staff have been informed of how this service user communicates. Time Another challenge to effective communication in the day care center is time. We are all busy and we don’t always have the time to listen and to communicate the way we should.Better time management.
Managing our workload allows us to take time with our service users. However on many occasions there is no solution as we are all busy and things need to be completed. Noise. One of the biggest preventatives and barriers to effective communication is noise. Is the music too loud? Is the television on? Is there too many people in the room talking? Turn music/TV volume down, close doors, ensure staff have a relevant reason for being in the day care room.I have ensured volume of music etc. is at an acceptable level.
I have told staff to leave the day care room or to stop talking so loudly to enable the preservation of an environment conducive to effective communication. Distance. When communicating with service users or staff members at the other side of the room or down the corridor distance and space apart can become a barrier and a challenge to effective communication. Go to the individual you are communicating with. Although it is not always possible it is advisable to go to the individual and I seek to do this as much as possible. Computer System/E-mail. When sending or receiving e-mails it is necessary to have access to a working computer which is ‘online’.Have various ‘backups’ when communicating via email. I have sent emails and to ensure that the information has been forwarded I have sent hard copies too.
