Swanson (1993) determined that the caring process of being with expresses to whoever is being cared for that they and their experiences matters to the caregiver. It is extremely important to convey this message to the clients at my service learning site, The Arbors of Bedford, because, as the site director explained to me, people suffering with dementia often struggle with depression and loneliness. At my site I most commonly see and partake in the caring sub dimensions of being there, conveying ability, and not burdening that Swanson (1991) outlined.
The most prominent sub dimension I notice at my service site is being there, in which an individual is present and willing to care for another by providing physical and emotional comfort. During …show more content…
Conveying ability is becoming more important today as health facilities, such as my service learning site, usually tend to have a limited amount of resources available to them, such as staff. Even though the staff seem to have a lack of time on their hands, they make sure to never act as though they are in a rush when around and caring for the residents. For example, even when doing simple tasks, like setting up a table for an arts and craft activity, they take their time. I started preparing the table in a way I thought made sense, but they informed me I was moving too fast and that this could stress the residents and make them feel like we were trying to rush them through the activity. It is important not to make the residents feel like you don’t have enough time for them, because then when they need something they might feel like they are being a burden to you and suppress that need. That not only hurts the patient, but also the caring relationship. Another way to signal ability and availability at my site is again through nonverbal communication. It is important to focus on nonverbal communications because there are signs a person can give off with their body language that suggest they are not available to care for the …show more content…
At my site it is easy to tell that the residents and the staff are very close, but the staff is in charge of monitoring the relationship so in a responsible manner. This means that when a resident is expressing is sharing their feelings or going through some type of an experience, the staff gives their care within a set of boundaries. They do not share their feelings, experiences, or give advice they accept what the resident is feeling or experiencing and do their best to help them through that situation. For example, one of the residents has a favorite song she loves to sing, so whenever she is in a bad mood or feeling down the staff try to engage her by singing the song together. That song and situation are very personal for the resident; a staff member would never take over that situation and note what their favorite song is or suggest they sing it because the caring relationship is solely focused on client and they should never feel as if they have a responsibility to
The most prominent sub dimension I notice at my service site is being there, in which an individual is present and willing to care for another by providing physical and emotional comfort. During …show more content…
Conveying ability is becoming more important today as health facilities, such as my service learning site, usually tend to have a limited amount of resources available to them, such as staff. Even though the staff seem to have a lack of time on their hands, they make sure to never act as though they are in a rush when around and caring for the residents. For example, even when doing simple tasks, like setting up a table for an arts and craft activity, they take their time. I started preparing the table in a way I thought made sense, but they informed me I was moving too fast and that this could stress the residents and make them feel like we were trying to rush them through the activity. It is important not to make the residents feel like you don’t have enough time for them, because then when they need something they might feel like they are being a burden to you and suppress that need. That not only hurts the patient, but also the caring relationship. Another way to signal ability and availability at my site is again through nonverbal communication. It is important to focus on nonverbal communications because there are signs a person can give off with their body language that suggest they are not available to care for the …show more content…
At my site it is easy to tell that the residents and the staff are very close, but the staff is in charge of monitoring the relationship so in a responsible manner. This means that when a resident is expressing is sharing their feelings or going through some type of an experience, the staff gives their care within a set of boundaries. They do not share their feelings, experiences, or give advice they accept what the resident is feeling or experiencing and do their best to help them through that situation. For example, one of the residents has a favorite song she loves to sing, so whenever she is in a bad mood or feeling down the staff try to engage her by singing the song together. That song and situation are very personal for the resident; a staff member would never take over that situation and note what their favorite song is or suggest they sing it because the caring relationship is solely focused on client and they should never feel as if they have a responsibility to