Communication in Health and Social Care Essay

1. 1 Apply relevant theories of communication to health and social care contextsAccording to George Gerbner,he describes the three main branches of communication studies as; 1. †semiotics† The study of signs and symbols and how they combine to convey meaning in different social contexts,This branch is mainly concerned with how verbal,non verbal and aural signs and symbols combine to create messages. 2. Media effects the study of behaviour and interaction through exposure to messages,It emphasizes measuring,explaining and predicting communication effects on knowledge,perceptions,beliefs,attitudes and public opinion,It is strongly influenced by scientific methods from the fields of psychology and social psychology. 3. Message production is the study of the large-scale organization through social institutions and system,example; mass media,political organisation,government and advocacy groups. Their history, regulations,policy making impact,It is strongly influenced by scientific methods from the fields of sociology but also by the methods of political science and public affair. According to Abraham Maslows humanistic theory of learning,learning contributes to psychological health. The goals of learning includes discovery of ones vocation or destiny;knowledge of values;realization of life as precious;acquisition of peak experiences; senses of accomplishment;satisfaction of psychological needs;awareness of beauty and wonder of life;impulse control;developing choice and grappling with critical existential problems of life. Applying Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of needs in The Care Home Setting,service users needs should be met like; Freedom of abuse and neglect from the care workers and ensuring them adequate food and shelter;Free from any kind of discrimination,risks and danger to be able to feel safe;Ability to trust their care workers and receive effective communication;Respect for their rights,dignity,privacy and diversity;Helping them take control of their own lives in order to develop their full potential and reach their goal. According to John B. Watson, Behaviours can be measured,trained and changed. It also acquired through conditioning which occurs through interaction with the environment. All of our sensory work, memory work,attention,etc,are part of definite modes of behaviour. In a Care Home Setting, it explains why we need to separate service users with an agitative behaviour from a noisy environment where other service users are happily participating in a physical activities,to prevent his/her agitation to aggression which can be potentially harm to the other individuals,care workers needs to take the service user to a quiet place to settle down. Sometimes moody behaviours are the service users way to communicate what they feel so its very important on the part on the care workers to be very observant on service users mood change and act accordingly According to Sigmund Freud’s outline of psychoanalysis(1940),He compared the human mind to an iceberg in order to describe the structure of personality. The small portion of the iceberg that lies above the water represents the conscious mind,or all the thoughts,feelings,and desires that you are fully aware of. This is the aspect of our mental processing than we can think and talk about rationally. A part of this includes our memory,which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily at any time and can be brought into awareness which is called preconscious. The massive below the surface represents our unconscious mind,The reservoir of feelings,thoughts,urges and memories that outside of our conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable or unpleasant,such as feelings of pain,anxiety or conflict. According to Freud, the consciousness continues to influence behaviour and experience,even though we are unaware of these underlying influences. In relation to this theory at The Care Home setting,Care workers deal with different Service user with different behaviours, medical problems,communication problems,cultures and needs. It is very important to identify the individuals communication capabilities and incapabilities to be able to help them empower their weaknesses and difficulties,in that way, care workers will be able to get cooperation from the service users and establish rapport on doing their everyday task and to meet their needs and maintain their well being. According to Ulric Neisser cognition is all processes by which the sensory input is transferred ,reduced,elaborated, stores,recovered and used. In short,it means it is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes including how people think,perceive,remember and learn. It is involved in everything a human being might possibly do;that every psychological phenomenon is cognitive phenomenon. An example of this theory at the Care Home Setting where service users are suffering of dementia,Care workers needs to encourage service users to participate on ctivities such as brain and physical exercises,social gatherings and have a good diet,to stimulate their brain cells and regained its brain power. 1. 2 Undertake and evaluate at least one communication activity in Health and Social Care Organization,considering Confidentiality and Data Protection Act 1998. Communication in a Health Care Organization is very important. It is the key for the health care providers and other health agencies to carry out their responsibilities to maintain the well being of the service users. An example of this is when making a care plan for the service users,all individuals that are involve in continuing health care of the service user must contribute on making the care plan by communicating their observations, assessments and suggestions on the service users daily activities ,risks and wellness. The service user should contribute as well on making their care plan by telling their preferences,choices, wishes and needs. Otherwise, the care workers will have no idea what kind of care the service users wanted to receive. If the service user cant speak for themselves,there must be a representative to speak for their behalf,either a social care worker,solicitor or a member of their family. When the care plan has been made,it should be kept in a secure and protected filing cabinet which only authorize person can have access on the document for data protection and to maintain confidentiality on the informations written in the care plan to protect all personal informations gathered.  If the service user needs to be transferred to a new health care services,the care plan should be presented for their reference. 1. 3 Describe and explore barriers to communication with health and social care Organisations In a Care Home for vulnerable adults,the most common communication barriers that a care workers encounter are the following; difficulty of hearing,impaired eyesight,learning difficulties,memory loss,foreign language,cultural differences,stroke,emotional problems,sensory loss and others. Problem arises between care workers and service users when doing personal care tasks if these barriers mentioned are present, the task may not be completed well because of misunderstanding which resulting in cooperation from the service user. Therefore,it will never be easy for the care worker to perform the task well without the full cooperation of the service user. Often times service users disagree with some procedures if your explanation is not enough for them to understand it,or if they are not comfortable with it. To solve the problem, care workers should encourage the service user s to have an input with the care they want to receive. They might know a better way to do the task in their most comfortable and convenient way. If the service user have difficulty of communicating because of the barriers mentioned,ask them what kind of communication method they prefer and wish to use,thus giving them a choice. Explain the various methods of communication available and what would be suitable for them. Seek further advice from the specialists in the wider health care team. Care givers also consult to the clients care plan as this should contain all necessary information. Care givers need to listen attentively and take notice of what the service users are communicating and not assume what they want. 1. 4 Understand how to transmit values and the need to transmit values when communicating within health and social care Organizations Respecting the rights of the service users at the care home should be highly observe. When the preferred method of communication of a service user has been identified,which is obviously the ones that they can communicate most effectively,care workers must respect to use it or learn to use it because if they don’t,then they are of risk of not communicating effectively,distressing the service user and breaching their rights. A service user who has suffered of stroke may have communication problem such as, they can understand the care workers completely but have difficulty with speech and its likely to become very frustrated if they cannot express themselves using their preferred method of communication. Problems arises when the care worker will just assume what the service user is saying rather than giving them more time to talk or attempting to encourage them to communicate their choices,wishes,preference and needs. If this happens the service user may end up for example;served with a meal they never want, wear clothes they never picked out and go to bed when they don’t wish to,these situations shows that the rights of the service users has been taken away from them.