The way in which an individual’s care is carried out has evolved over the years. We have now gone beyond a care worker washing, dressing, and providing meals for an individual in their own home to outcome-based care. Outcome-based care is about having a conversation with the individual to find out what matters to them, what they want to achieve, their strengths and how they can be supported to achieve their goals. It is about supporting them to live the best life possible.
These conversations can also involve their loved ones, advocates, Power of Attorneys. There should be no assumptions placed on what the individual should need, it is about the power of choice. These outcomes should be driven by the individual, what are their goals? It is possible that these goals are not realistic in terms of their current health and mental needs, so how can these goals be adapted to make them achievable? It is also about understanding that these goals are not set as the health and wellbeing of the individual is ever changing and their care needs to change with them. Each individual has the right to take risks but these can be managed in a safe way.
Loved ones mean well when it comes to the care of their family member and can often think that goals and outcomes need to be big achievements, this is often because they do not see that the little things matter. A goal could be something as simple as being able to wash their own face, this would be a huge achievement to the individual who has not been able to do this due to illness. The individually tailored care plan and assistance of a care worker can help the individual work towards this and ultimately achieve.
Achieving goals and outcomes can have a huge positive effect on the individual’s health and wellbeing. How would you feel losing the abilities that you once had and somebody taking over? By helping an individual to achieve their outcomes gives them a sense of purpose and independence which can only have positive effects of their wellbeing.
