Person-Centered Care at Home and You

By  Hayley Jeffery

When you first find yourself supporting a loved one with mental illness at home, it’s a bit of a shock (the word “shock” being a total understatement).

You’re trying to adapt to a new situation – and you want to give the best care and support possible – but you’re not sure how to make sure that what you’re doing is the right thing for your relative (or friend).

It’s stressful, confusing, and a little frightening. But it doesn’t have to be.

If you incorporate person-centered care into how you do things, you’ll be doing everything right – and person-centered care is what this post is all about.

So, What is Person-Centered Care?

Person-centered care involves focusing on the desires, needs, and goals of an individual, so that they become central to the care that the individual receives.

An individual receiving care will have a record made of their wishes (usually in the form of a care plan), and this record can be referred to by carers, social workers, and other individuals who have permission to read it.

Why Person-Centered Care Matters

Before social, person-centered care became the norm, the “medical model” was more commonplace.

In this model of care, the opinions of medical staff often outweighed those of the people receiving care from them. This was largely because an individual’s condition was seen as a deficiency – or problem – to be dealt with, and not something to accommodate.

As I’m sure you can imagine, this way of ‘caring’ for people wasn’t caring at all; when the needs of an individual can be ignored, they often will be, which can lead to neglect and other forms of abuse.

Incorporating Person-Centered Care at Home

When you’re trying to support someone who’s suffering from a mental illness at home, it can be hard to get things right.

It’s easier to offer either too little – or too much – care and support than it is to offer just the right amount, especially in the beginning.

I think this is because professionals, like me, receive training in person-centered care from day one. If we make a mistake, it can cost us our jobs, so we quickly become adept at doing things the right way, with every single person we care for.

But you? When you’re suddenly confronted with a spouse, parent, sibling, or friend who needs your support, it’s on a whole other level.

You know this person, inside and out, and a sudden change in their mental health is either going to freak you out (not enough support), or throw you into mother-hen mode (too much support).

With that in mind, I want to share a few ways you can help the person you’re supporting, in a balanced, inclusive, person-centered way:

1.) Draw Up a Care Plan

If your loved one hasn’t had a professional care plan drawn up, (i.e. they haven’t had to stay in a residential home or hospital) it’s still a good idea to encourage them to create one.

They can do this alone, or with you – whatever they prefer.

A professional, who could be your loved one’s favourite doctor, caseworker or other professional, can help to support them (and act as a witness and counter-signatory) while they do this.

Don’t worry about whether the care plan is as formal as one you’d get in a hospital or residential care setting; the aim here is to help your loved one to create a plan that covers what they want, and need, at this time.

The plan can include:

• Your friend (or relative’s) personal history.
• What their preferences are in terms of food, clothing, hobbies, pronouns – anything that’s important to them.
• Details about their diagnosis, Doctor, and medication.
• Whether they’ve had any falls, what their mobility is like, and how they prefer to get around.
• What their goals are, including improving their health, well-being, and personal development.

Once it’s finished, this care plan can be updated as, and when, your loved one develops new goals, needs, and preferences about the care that they want to receive.

If you should ever need to take your friend, or relative, to a hospital – or on a trip – the care plan can go with them. It’ll help to make sure that their needs and wishes are taken into consideration.

2.) Remember: Mentally Ill People Can Do Stuff For Themselves

If you’ve stayed in mother-hen mode since you began caring for your loved one at home, you can stop now.

Don’t stop caring for them entirely, just make sure that you’ve assessed their needs properly, and back off a little if you’re overdoing it.

Some people who have friends and family as carers do require intensive, 24 hour care – especially if they’re going through a really rough patch.

But many people who suffer from mental illness are quite capable of doing things by themselves, especially if they’re able to do things in their own way, and at their own pace.

Encourage the person you’re helping to develop their own routine, do their own chores, to help cook dinner, and to try new things.

Don’t pressure them into doing things that you think will help them – ask them what they feel they need support with before you go ploughing in to do stuff for them.

Some days they’ll need you to help with everything. On other days you won’t be needed as much – and that’s OK.

3.) Be There

If you’re struggling to relate to your loved one, and their condition, then don’t worry – it doesn’t make you a bad person. Like your friend or family member, you’re going to need to get used to the situation, and this will take time.

Keep making the effort to help them, and remember that just having the support of someone who cares can make a world of difference to someone who is suffering from Mental Illness.

Don’t treat them differently because of their diagnosis, and don’t retreat from them if they have a particularly bad day (or week) – let them vent, take it on the chin, and move on.

Take each day as it comes, acknowledge their needs and opinions, and just be there for them.

Doing all of this is just as much a part of person-centered care as anything else; and the more you do these things, the easier it all becomes.

Useful Resources

If you want to learn more about person-centered care, take a look at the sites below:

• Royal College of Nursing (information)
• Carers Queensland (link to PDF)
• Helen Sanderson Associates ( information and courses available)
• A Person-Centred Arizona ( information and resources)

Conclusion

Supporting a loved one through their battle with mental illness is a challenging, stressful situation for everyone involved.

Make the care that you provide person-centered, however, and you’ll be well on your way to supporting your loved one in a less stressful, more inclusive, and respectful way.

Try out the tips in this post, check out the links in the resources section, and see how person-centered care improves the care you provide.

Bio:  Hayley Jeffery is a freelance writer for hire. As a Type 2 Diabetic and fully qualified Health and Social Care Worker, she is passionate about helping others to improve their health and to get the most out of life. You can connect with her on Twitter

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