Person - Centered Care
Person-centered care is care that revolves around the client's experiences and the client's perceptions. In person-centered care a client defines how they have cared for based on the idea that they are given most:
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Information
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Education
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Communication
about their plan of care, about their options, about their routines?
Sometimes we care for clients and may not even realize that we may be removing their choices by not providing enough information to them or because we act our own good intentions. We don't consider how it affects the client. For example, we may limit their perceptions, forcing a decision on them that they may not have made if they had been more informed.
This can be done in small decisions to even life-changing decisions.
For example:
Ms. Ellen is preparing a meal for Ms. Maple. She asks Ms. Ellen if she would like broccoli or carrots for the side for her meal. Ms. Ellen doesn't want either, both sound too heavy for her. Ms. Maple states broccoli. Ms. Ellen limited the choices for Ms. Maple when Ms. Ellen could have chosen rice, bread, or even a completely different meal, had Ms. Ellen had asked Ms. Maple what she had wanted for dinner instead of choosing for her. Ms. Maple is only 36 years old but has a brain injury, Ms. Ellen insists on choosing meals for her client because decided she wants to ensure her client eats hearty well-balanced meals each day. However, this isn't a client-centered approach at all. This remove's a client's ability to choose what is best for them, and how they would like to live their life. Despite Ms. Ellen's good intentions and no true ill will, she is doing significant harm to Ms. Maple by removing her ability to make a decision or giving her a false sense of making decisions by limiting her to only 2 decisions.
Ms. Ellen has the cognitive ability to decide what she would like to eat. She can also choose to eat an unhealthy meal, she did not lose the ability to choose her diet and is not on any dietary restrictions.
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Just because a caregiver has a 'good intention' does not mean it is the best for the client or the best for their quality of life.
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Person Centered Planning:
In Summary. Staff do not decide anything for their client. Staff facilitate the client's own dreams, goals, and plans. Even if the client makes choices the staff does not agree with, it is up to the client to make that decision. For example, staff can not choose or comment on a client's diet, beverage choices, recreational habits or risks, occupational hazards, educational choices, relationship choices or risk, sexual behaviors or choices, or anything in between as long as they are not putting staff at direct risk of immediately hazard.
All staff are mandated reporters, and must report any clear signs of abuse. Intentional false reporting is against the law. Keep in mind, just because you disagree with a client's actions does not mean it is a form of abuse. Be cautious of implicit biases or discriminatory reporting. If you are uncertain, speak to your supervisor.
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