How to Work With Elderly Clients in the Home

Whether you are a nurse, a doctor or a care worker, caring for the elderly in their homes is a privilege. Your clients trust you to treat them well and with dignity, and they deserve respect, empathy and professionalism to ensure the highest standard of care. A caregiver should attend to a client's emotional and physical needs by respecting her individuality and considering the whole person, rather than treating her as a collection of signs and symptoms of old age.

Instructions

Care Plans and Assessments

• 1

  Confirm the nursing and clinical care package with the social care team before visiting, and clarify anything that seems vague or open to misinterpretation. A clear idea of the care plan helps you explain it to your client. Review the notes of the last visit, and use these to assess your client's general wellness and any positive or negative changes.

• 2

  Ask how things have been since the last visit, or since the date of referral to the care routine, and listen. Sit facing the client if he is in a chair. Don't make him look up to you from a lower level, which he may perceive as a subordinate position. Make eye contact and encourage him to talk to you. An elderly client may spend much of his day alone, so this is time well invested, even if it lasts only a few minutes. Conversation will continue while you work, but those few minutes of your undivided attention are valuable to the client's spirit.

• 3

  Ask your client if she has any questions or concerns about her care plan, or if there are additions she would like to make, subject to approval. Involve her as much as possible in her ongoing care. Take time with this; your client may find it difficult in the early stages of a care routine to accept help or to confide in you, particularly if she previously has lived independently. Reassure her and encourage her to allow you to help; trusting you is important to her ongoing well-being.

Treat Seniors With Dignity

• 4

  Address your clients with respect and do not use their given names or nicknames unless you are specifically asked to do so. They will probably invite you to address them more familiarly when they know you better, but you should not pre-empt their invitation. When they do offer their given names, ask how they like to be known; some people like diminutives, while others prefer that you don't shorten their names.

• 5

  Allow your clients to take the lead in matters of household management. Respect their routines, habits and privacy as much as possible. Ask permission before going into other rooms or opening closets and drawers, and continue to do so until they say you don't need to ask. Even with permission, maintain their trust by saying which room you are going to or which closet you need to open.

• 6

  Remain calm and kind at all times, particularly if a client is struggling with debilitating mental health problems or memory loss, or his personality is changing because of a degenerative illness. You will not reach or help him by showing irritation or impatience. If you find these situations difficult, seek assistance from colleagues to identify coping mechanisms and learn how to help your client through these challenging periods.