Learning outcome 1 – Be able to address the range of communication requirements in own role
1.1 Review the range of groups and individuals whose communication needs must be addressed in own job role
Within the job role of manager good communication skills are essential in order to develop positive relationships and share information with people using services. You also need to be able to communicate well with people’s families and/or carers as well as with your colleagues and other professionals. You need to be aware of the individual service users preferred methods of communication and also to support them to use their preferred method. People within the setting have the right to communicate through their chosen method and their choice should be acknowledged and respected by supporting them. Within my job role there are different groups of individuals with different types of communication needs. The groups of people within my job role include people with:
Dementia.
Mental health problems.
Physical disabilities – Stroke.
Age related hearing loss.
Age related sight loss.
All of the above can affect how an individual can communicate and the ways in which they must be supported.
Dementia
Dementia is a progressive disorder that can affect an individual’s long and short- term memory. It can also affect an individual’s recognition of people or things, speech, understanding, concentration, orientation and motivation.
Mental health problems
This is when someone experiences significant changes in their thinking, feelings or behaviour. The changes need to be bad enough to affect how the person functions or to cause distress to them or to other people.
Physical disabilities
When the physical disability affects the individual’s facial muscles or vocal cords, their verbal communication can be affected. If it affects their bodily movement or head control it can also affect their non-verbal communication.
Age related hearing loss
Age related hearing loss makes it harder for individuals to understand others, making effective communication harder and they will therefore need support in order to communicate effectively.
Age related sight loss
Sight plays an important role in communication. More than 90 per cent of what we communicate is through non-verbal communication, including sight. Such communication is via body language – how we stand, our facial expressions, and movements we make with our hands. If what we communicate is less than 10 per cent verbal, it follows that an individual without sight will miss out on a huge amount of information needed to make the communication effective. Losing your sight at a later stage in life can create acceptance difficulties and the need to learn a new method of communication.
1.2 Explain how to support effective communication within own job role
Within the role of a manager you play a large part in assessing an individual’s communication needs and how their needs are to be met within the care setting. Before any support can be offered to the individual it is important that their personal needs and preferences are taken into account. An initial assessment is done as the individual comes into the service to give the team an idea of the individuals basic communication needs and how these are to be met, and through time and careful observation, a more detailed care plan can then be developed and implemented.
There may be key people that are able to help assess and give relevant information in regards to an individual’s communication needs and how these are met. These include:
Friends and family.
Speech therapist.
GP.
Care staff.
Occupational therapists.
Behavioural therapists.
Effective communication can make a big difference to a person and the way they are cared for. It also allows you to:
Work inclusively with people of different ages and diverse backgrounds.
Respond appropriately to the