Question

Household Management In the following situations, describe the most appropriate actions or responses to be taken by the Personal Support Worker and explain why this is correct. Your answer should reflect knowledge of effective communication skills, the extent and limitations of your role, and an understanding of the client’s total needs. (4 marks each) 1. You are assigned to help Mrs. Jones with her laundry and vacuuming. When you try to do Mrs. Jones’ laundry, she tells you you’ve used too much soap, even though you have used the correct amount according to the package. She also insists you use cold water, even though the clothes can be washed in warm and her detergent is not recommended for use in cold water. When you bring the clothes up from the dryer, she complains that they are not “really clean.” Actions/Response: ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Reasons: ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 2. You are assigned to help Mrs. Smith with meals and housekeeping. Mrs. Smith has a

Answer 1

Actions/response:
For a Personal Support Worker, it is very important to be calm and gentle in these kinds of situation. Without arguing with the client, I will try to tell her that the cloth is cleaned properly and encourage her to closely look at the cloth again and then give the feedback. If she is still not satisfied, I will do the clothes again according to her wish. A positive attitude towards the client is very important along with a good communication with her and other family member. I will avoid any kind of abuse or negative attitude even if she is very rude to me.

Reasons:
The kind of statements that the client made shows that she is not so happy with the work of the Personal support worker and she also doesn't trust the PSW in terms of housekeeping or laundry. In such scenario, it is very important to create a positive impression in the eyes of the client and at the same time listen to her without any argument. This builds a trustworthy relation between the two and will also encourage a good communication. Such complaining nature of the client shows a kind of stress or irritation perhaps because of the medication. A polite personal support worker can help their clients to express more of their problems and significantly reduce the stress on them.