Understand Person Centred Approaches Essay

305 – Understand person centred approaches in adult care settings - Georgina Robey

1.1
Person centred approaches are where an individual is actively involved in identifying their needs, what outcomes they want and how they would like to be supported to achieve those outcomes.
A person centred approach is about promoting independence and encouraging choice and control for an individual whilst treating them with dignity and respect.

1.1/1.2/1.3
Social care work is about people’s well being, looking at the whole person and their quality of life. Person centred values should influence all aspects of social care as:
- it makes it personal and more real,
- people are individuals with changing needs,
- eliminates complex jargon,
- promotes an

open, transparent partnership where people are treated with dignity and respect and given the opportunity to make informed choices and then supported to achieve,
- ensure good well being and support to maintain it.

2.1
Finding out the history, preferences, wishes and needs of an individual contribute to their care plan as it takes into account the whole person ensuring a clear understanding of the person as an individual.

Therefore ensuring a positive experience for the person where they feel valued and respected.

2.2
Ways to put person centred values into practice in a complex or sensitive situation:
• Talk with the individual and understand the situation.
• Find out if they would like an advocate.
• Think about positive ways to approach the situation, which will assist in supporting the person.
• Use easy read and pictorial information to support understanding.
• Involve the person and develop information e.g one page profile, communication passport; Traffic Light support tool, to support them when attending places that might not understand their needs.
• Be patient and take time:
- visit places/situations regularly to increase confidence, trust and familiarity – like the dentist
- talk and keep the person informed at all times
- give them confidence to take things at their own pace
• Use visual timetables or photographs to pre-empt anxiety

2.3/1.2
Applying person-centred values in care plans:-
- Ensures care and support is tailored to an individual's

need,
- ensures that an individual has choice and control over their needs,
- ensure significant people contribute,
- takes into account needs may not always stay the same,
- care plans are a live plan which can be adapted to suit need.

2.4
People’s needs and preferences are always changing and therefore must be constantly monitored to ensure care plans and support are current and up to date to ensure safe and person centred practice. e.g. physical / mental health, social needs, family and relationships

3.1/3.1
Factors that influence the capacity of an individual to express consent could be:
- their ability to communicate
- their mental health
- lack of knowledge about their rights / awareness of choices
- their age
- their up bringing / culture / beliefs
- a learning disability

3.2
Consent for an activity or action can be gained in a number of ways depending on the person and their ability.
- Communicating with the person and simply asking for their consent;
- written information where they sign an agreement
- or via an advocate who can act on their behalf.

3.3/3.3
If consent cannot be readily established the activity or action cannot be carried through.
This would need to be recorded and advise sought from the appropriate lead e.g. line manager; doctor; therapist. A mental capacity assessment would have to be carried out and the person deemed not to have capacity for an advocate to give consent on their behalf.

4.1
Active participation is where individuals are involved in the choice and control of what they are doing or what they want to do in order for them to have positive outcomes.
Different ways to apply active participation is to give an individual the opportunity to be involved. This can be done by:
- learning about a person through discussion with themselves or people who know them;
- providing opportunity to experience different things, talking about the benefits;
- Provide information and resources appropriate to their ability to assist them to participate;
- Ensuring they are in an environment of their choice so they can confidently contribute

4.2
The holistic needs of an individual can be addressed by active participation through:
- a person centred meeting where the individual can invite (with support if necessary) whoever is important to them to sit down and discuss with them their needs and then draw up a plan together detailing support needed to gain positive outcomes; the individual actively participating promotes a better understanding of the person by the people involved in supporting them allowing them to be more creative and person centred in their delivery of support.
- Giving the individual the opportunity to try various activities to find the most appropriate;
- encouraging the individual to access information and support them to understand and find out what is available to them and how to access it;
- Supporting an individual to increase their skills and independence.

4.4
Involving an individual in the planning of their support right from the beginning will promote the understanding and use of active participation. Finding creative ways to to support the person to contribute to their support and how it is delivered by giving them control and respecting their opinion. This could involve using appropriate resources e.g. Self made invitations, Photographs, pictures, objects, videos, social stories. Making person centred meetings less formal and more interactive by engaging the person and using creative methods to encourage participation where the person is able to exercise their opinion and choice because they have the resources to do so e.g. Using easy read, technology with appropriate apps, communication systems, make sure people invited know and understand a person and can interpret body language and speech/signing.

5.1 Different approaches to support an individual to make informed choices:
- ensure the individual has access to information they can understand e.g easy read, pictorial, jargon free
- Understand the individual and how best to communicate with them; ensure they have the resources to support their communication if need be so they are not misunderstood.

- Good communication with an individual and gaining consent and encouraging them to question will increase their confidence to speak up for themselves and understand it is their right to have choice and control over how their life is lead; personal and recreational - use an advocate if necessary.
- Increase awareness and encourage positive risk taking, Support the individual to have different experiences and keep a picture diary/ video of these experiences, use this to support choice in the future.
- Always provide choice, this can be tailored to the individual's capacity.
- Guidance from friends, family and professionals can help with background information and understanding of

needs.

5.3 Allowing the personal views of others to influence an individual's choices undermines the individual and can cause low self esteem, this withdraws their control and is no longer person centred. This could lead to a safeguarding concern being raised, or a disciplinary.

5.2/5.4 Supporting and listening to an individual and providing them with the knowledge and understanding that it is their right to challenge decisions made by others concerning themselves and then showing them how they can challenge decisions (e.g. Complaints procedure) will give the individual the confidence and know how, however this depends on capacity and self confidence. If an individual lacks the ability to speak up independently they should be given an independent advocate who can do this for them. Adults advocacy services are provided in Rutland by the Leicestershire Community Projects Trust (LCPT).

6.1/6.1 Links between identity; self image and self esteem are:
Identity is who a person is and what makes them that person, it is their 'foundation'.
Identity influences a person's self image as this is how a person sees them self: who they are, what they look like, where they come from which in turn influences a person's self esteem. As this is a person's emotional evaluation of themselves and this judgement is affected by the way they see