Hang in there. This is the hardest part of support work. The fact that you think about it in these terms puts you ahead of many in the industry.
I have worked with many challenging clients over a number of years. Consent comes down to how confident we can be that any communication from the client reasonably represents their agreement or disagreement.
Concrete, unambiguous gestures increase our confidence in the clients consent. If the client is verbal, get a verbal response, and a gesture response (like a 'thumbs up') as well. If non-verbal, work on two concise gestures each for a 'yes' and 'no'. Make sure they are meaningful and unambiguous.
Think of it like Two-Factor Authentication. If you require consent, make sure you get a 'yes', and 'thumbs up' before proceeding. Break it down for them. Ask once for a verbal resonse ('Would you like to go to the movies?'). Then again for the gesture ('Can you show me if you would like to go?').
When you record your notes for the day, you can better justify how you determined client consent. Talk to your Allied Health Team. If they are decent they will be on board with something like this. A system like this takes time, so be patient.
Be Well my friend and Strive for the Good
Thanks for the words of encouragement.
I've been working a lot with Dr Rosemary Crossley, who has really taught me a lot about communication. With this client in particular, he really hasn't had the exposure or 'training' in communication for 29 years... so we are really starting from scratch here, but he is showing amazing signs of progress. Yes/No is all I'm doing, but he 'answers' about 30% of the time.
Having said that, the more I work with him, the more I am seeing patterns of behaviour and other signs of non-verbal communication, so I'm getting to understand when he is 'liking' something, and when he doesn't. It's still not fool-proof, but there is a pay-off.
My other non-verbal client is really good with communication; he can gesture, use hand signals for yes/no, and I help him type on a device. We have some great 'conversations', but he's also had the benefit of parents who believed in his ability from a young age!
Thanks again!
😊🙏🏽☯️
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No worries. It helps to know we are not alone in our challenges :). Sounds like you have a good support structure under you. 30% is pretty good. Belief in ones ability is so important. I used to write instructional guides for other support workers about my clients gestures/behaviors (with appropriate approval of course). That way if you or the client leaves, the next support worker doesn't have to start from scratch.
Thank you for actually caring. I'm not really sure how Steemit works yet or how much I'll be on here, but feel free to reach out if that would help you. I left the industry a few years ago. It wasn't the clients, but dodgy support workers and the bureaucracy.
Have a great day!
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