D1- Evaluate strategies used in health and social care environments to overcome barriers to effective communication and interpersonal interactions
Human aids to communication
Advocate- A positive for having an advocate is that they can help people with learning difficulites or hearing difficulties to express their thoughts and opinions. A negative of having an advocate is that advocates may interpret information incorrectly or have selective hearing.
Interpreters- A positive for having an interpreter is that it makes it easier for people with learning difficulties or barriers makes it easier and quicker to communicate. A negative is that a training course to learn sign language or a different language is expensive and time consuming. Also, interpreters are not always availiable.
Translators- A positive for having a translator is that it makes it easier for people who speak a different language to get the help that they need; however a negative for getting a translator is that getting a translator can be difficult as there are not that many and are usually booked up and also training a translator will be expensive and time consuming. Also, translators are not always readily availiable, for example they may not always be free in times of an emergency.
Signers- For example if a client is having a conversation with a carer then the client may need a interpretor, translator or signer in order to have a succesfull conversation and understand fully what is being said. A positive of signers is that they help influence communication between those individuals who are deaf. A weakness if that signers may sometimes experience confusion.
Mentors- A positive for having a mentor is that a mentor will help to assist a client to delelop their skills and also over come obstacles safely; however a negative is that care homes can not always afford mentors.
Befreinders- A positive of having a befreinder is that a client will feel loved and cared for as they will feel as if someone is there for them; however a negative for having a befriender is that a befreinder is solely voluntary and also their may not be many people that want to work for free.
Technological aids to communication
Minicom- A minicom is helpful in many ways, it allows people with speech and hearing difficulties to send messages to their friends family or even doctors. However, a Minicom is only usefull if the other person has a Minicom also. Minicom is also expensive and not always the affordable option.
Voice activated softwear- Voice activated software means that speech it is not necessary to sit at a keyboard or work with a remote control. Also the person using it does not have to be trained. However, the downside to voice activated software is background noise for example if the kettle is boiling in the background or the dog’s barking then this means that the softwear will pick up the background noise and make errors.
Relay systems- A relay system is helpful because not everyone has a mincom on their phone as a relay system makes it easier for people who use a teletype phone to send and receive messages from those who do not. The negatives to a relay system is that it is big and noticable as some people may not want to be a little bit different and may not want strangers to know that they have a hearing difficulty.
Loop systems- Loop systems have many strenghts, they allow partially deaf people to do everyday activities. There are also signs in the areas to tell the people that there is a loop system. The weakness of a loop system is that it is expensive for cinemas, theatres etc to install and pay for concluding that there are not many loop system