Understanding Different Communication Methods Free Essay Example

I have recently heard in the last week that you’ve been considering applying for a job at the local adult day centre and as your friend I thought it would be a great idea to tell you of the importance of the standards they will expect. You’ll have to adapt to work around individual people’s needs and help them express needs, wishes and preferences in order for effective care to ensue; this will help minimise mistakes, confirm trust and build a positive environment.

I can also tell you from my experience in the care sector that knowing and understanding different communication methods will benefit your delivery of care and that’s why I will give you examples of a range of methods to communication and how to see that information has been understood by individuals.

The top priority is to understand an individual’s communication, wishes, preferences and language requirements because the individual may not receive the appropriate care or information they need.

You have to know that you are being understood so that the individual knows what is going on, what their treatment is, etc. Failure to do this would mean the individual was excluded from their care plan, became confused, angry and feeling rejected. Consider deafness, sight loss, learning disabilities, confusion, Alzheimer’s, speech delay, stroke patients, there are more conditions but these examples are some of the major conditions that will need more attentive effective care.

A way to make individuals feel valued is to listen to their feedback and also note visitor’s contributions to find out how to adapt and control the care delivery process, this can tell you more information about the individual and helps you understand what they would like to help build trust.

In the event of providing care for a patient whose main language is different then try to find out what is the best way to communicate with them in a way that they will understand, allowing this to take place can help effectively meet an individual’s needs for them to feel happier and more settled.

This will warrant individuals to feel like they are able to do the things they cannot do by themselves and make them feel valued. A care plan enables individuals to be centred in how their care is designed, developed and delivered by support workers in a way that the support provided meets needs, wishes, standards and preferences in a satisfactory manner; this can empower the individuals reflections and can help any other staff understand what the individual requires from their care. It is important to point out rules and procedures to individuals if you sense that they are unhappy with their care such as making suggestions, feedback and complains accessible and noting comments back to managers so they can adapt it around the self-centred support in the care delivery.

Building a trusting relation with individuals means their needs are being met and they are comfortable and happy allowing them to open up and tell more information to allow staff to do more for them, ways you can employ this are:

• Listening at every opportunity to their needs, wishes and concerns and explaining the method or circumstances in a way that is understandable and clear.
• Not putting pressure on individuals for any reason.
•  Showing individuality and respect by communicating on a personal level such as using their name, likes, dislikes and medical conditions.
• Engaging the individual regularly and making friendly conversations with them.
•  Keeping positivity high by offering encouragement like being there when things are tense or uncomforting.

To help know different languages and the names of them it is a good idea to know a range of communication methods such as these:

Verbal Communication – is the sharing of information between individuals by using speech and is quick, easy and effective at portraying messages between groups or individuals. Verbal communication employs emotions as users can stress there tone of voice with different words to portray different meanings.

Non-Verbal Communication – is the way people communicate by sending and receiving wordless clues such as a wave to portray ‘hello’ or a thumbs up to say ‘I’m ok’ etc. Body language, distance and environments also play a part in effectively portraying the meaning of what you’re trying to say so others can understand more easily.

Braille – is a form of written language for blind people in which characters are represented by raised dots that are felt with fingertips; this method of communication can be commonly found on medications and banknotes.

Makaton – is a language using signs and symbols to communicate effectively, it is designed to work in conjunction with spoken languages. It is commonly used with children and adults and people with learning difficulties.

Written communication – is the same as oral but is written down on paper or on technological devices and uses text in different languages. An example of this is this letter.

British Sign Language – is the use of hand, body, face and arms to communicate, it also involves the space round you. This is the preferred way of communication for people who have hearing difficulties or deafness.

I hope that you enjoy working in your new job and I hope this information is any use to you. If you’d like more information you know where I am and I will always be here to help; just send me an email or call me.

Remember! This is just a sample.

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