Much like icebergs, where only a small portion is visible above the water, people often show just a fraction of their true selves at first glance.
However, to properly care for your residents, you have to get to know them deeply and intimately. Understanding the nuances of what makes a person tick, their likes, dislikes, challenges and motivations can help you provide improved and personalised care, and support better communication with the resident.
How do you go beneath the surface?
By asking open-ended questions about their life, history, hobbies and interests.
Open-ended questions encourage residents to open up about their life and provide a clearer picture of their personality. Care staff can take these into consideration when attending to the resident. This creates a stronger connection between staff and residents, which is essential for trust-building and improves the quality of perceived care.
Consider getting the resident’s family involved, too. They may be able to provide further insights that might not be obvious through your casual conversations with residents.
When you dive deeper into a resident’s life, you can provide care that is truly bespoke to each resident.
It will make each resident feel like they’re centre of all your attention.