Choice and control in practice Take time to understand and know the person, their previous lives and past achievements, and support people to develop ‘life story books’ Treat people as equals, ensuring they remain in control of what happens to them. Empower people by making sure they have access to jargon-free information about services when they want or need it. Ensure that people are fully involved in any decision that affects their care, including personal decisions (such as what to eat, what to wear and what time to go to bed), and wider decisions about the service or establishment (such as menu planning or recruiting new staff). Don’t assume that people are not able to make decisions. Value the time spent supporting people with decision-making as much as the time spent doing other tasks. Provide opportunities for people to participate as fully as they can at all levels of the service, including the day-to-day running of the service. Ensure that staff have the necessary skills to include people with cognitive or communication difficulties in decision-making. For example, full documentation of a person’s previous history, preferences and habits’ can be used by staff to support choices consistent with the person’s character’. (Randers and Mattiasson, 2004). Identify areas where people’s independence is being undermined in the service and look for ways to redress the balance. Work to develop local advocacy services and raise awareness of them. Support people who wish to use direct payments or personal budgets. Encourage and support people to participate in the wider community. Involve people who use services in staff training.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 20:46:33 +0000
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