Module 3 Self care - doing it for ourselves Self Care Training

On completion of this module learners will:  Understand how the current care worker role can limit a person’s opportunities to self care  Understand what self care is and how we all make decisions about our health and well-being  Demonstrate how a change in thinking can support individuals’ self care Module 3 outcomes

Your current role as a care worker means that you:  Follow tasks on the care plan  Often will ‘do for’ the individuals you support  Have little time to ask people ‘what do you want?’  Have little opportunity to try new things with the people you support And... social and emotional needs are not always seen as a priority! Your current role

I can’t do it if it is not on the care plan If I don’t do it then what will I do? I must just complete tasks when I visit I can’t get involved in planning! This develops your ‘habit centres’

 Traditional habit centres can put you in control of ‘just doing for’ individuals  This can focus you on tasks and limit individuals’ self determination to try new things for themselves  Little chance for individuals to self care! Care Workers Individuals Traditional habit centres – the effects

“…the individual taking responsibility for their own health and well-being” (Source- ‘Common Core Principles to Support Self Care - a guide to implementation’- Skills for Care/Skills for Health 2008) What is self care?

Health Well-being Our health can be thought of as the choices we make to look after our: Bodies Minds Social Lives If we develop bad habits and don't look after our health then our well-being (how we feel) may be affected. Health and well-being is…?

What steps do you take to look after your health and well-being? Group discussion

It is important that throughout our lives we balance our health and well-being so we can be free from disease and emotional distress We can do this by: Eating well – Gives us the nutrients we need to stay healthy, control or reduce body weight and help us feel better about ourselves. Living active lives – Can increase our energy levels, reduce the risk of getting ill and help us feel better about ourselves Managing our feelings – Feeling positive about ourselves and our lives can often motivate us to better care for our health Taking control over our environments – Having enough money, a comfortable place to live and good support networks can help us feel better about ourselves and motivate us to care for our health. Balancing health and well-being

As Babies – Our parents encourage, supervise and support our self care skills Holding onto a bottle, eating small foods, taking part in bathing and dressing As Toddlers – We have built our confidence and want to learn to do more for ourselves Brushing our teeth, hair, and dressing ourselves As Young Children – We have the skills and knowledge to self care without always having to ask. We look at the detail – small buttons, shoe laces, letters and numbers As Young Adults – We want to ‘look after ourselves’ and not be ‘looked after’ We want to be self sufficient, paying rent, cooking, running a car, having our own social relationships How we are taught to self care

As we get older the natural effects of ageing take hold:  As we get older and our bodies change, we may lose the confidence we had to self care – for some this means using the support of ‘traditional’ care workers  This can lead to ‘they need us’ thinking However – no matter our age or disability, we all have the Ability to self care! 7.1 As older individuals

Self care support is a new way of working, it is about:  New types of workers supporting individuals to be motivated and confident to become more involved in their lives  New types of workers supporting individuals to do more for themselves  New types of workers supporting individuals to take more responsibility for the self care of their health and well-being 7.1 Your new habit centres – self care support

The Self Care Principles Principle 1 Ensure individuals are able to make informed choices to manage their self care needs Principle 2 Communicate effectively to enable individuals to assess their needs, and develop and gain confidence to self care Principle 3 Support and enable individuals to access appropriate information to manage their self care needs Principle 4 Support and enable individuals to develop skills in self care Principle 5 Support and enable individuals to use technology to support self care Principle 6 Advise individuals how to access support networks and participate in the planning, development and evaluation of services Principle 7 Support and enable risk management and risk taking to maximise independence and choice (Source: The Common Core Principles to Support Self Care-A Guide to Support Implementation 2008) Are people interested in self care?

A Department of Health MORI Survey 2005 includes statistics from face to face interviews with the general public (England): More than 95% said they were interested in living a healthy lifestyle More than 87% of those with a long term condition said they were interested in playing a greater role in the self care of their conditions. More than 50% who had seen a care professional in the previous six months said they had not often been encouraged to self care More that 75% said that if there had been guidance or support from a professional or peer they would feel more confident about taking care of their own health 7.1 Are people interested in self care?

 Individuals’ own attitudes and behaviours People have become used to having care ‘done to them’ Rarely will they plan or set new goals to self care They also focus on completing ‘tasks’ Over time this can lead to them lacking the confidence to try new things and to accept self care support. What is stopping us supporting self care?

 Care workers’ attitudes and behaviours  Care workers are used to following a list of tasks on the care plan  This can create a “I’ll just…” effect  They don’t involve the person in planning and setting new goals to achieve self care  They worry that if individuals self care – there will be nothing for them to do 7.1 What is stopping us supporting self care?

 Changing your thinking is not easy  Repeating a task over and over again means we can end up doing it without really having to think about it  Care workers tend to think they have to ‘do things for’ the person and not always involve them This pattern of thinking does not support individuals to be involved and to self care How do we change this way of thinking? Changing your thinking

 Identify what you don’t want to do anymore “I don’t want to just ‘do for’ the individuals I support anymore”  Identify new ways of doing things “I want to involve individuals so they can eventually regain the skills to do things on their own to self care!”  Practise your new habits “I have always worked in the old way, so it is ok, if it takes some time – But I will keep practising” Your new habits will eventually become automatic! Remember your new habits

 Allow you to work with each individual person and involve them in their activities  Balance the control, and support the individuals to make new choices about how they receive their support.  Promote self care!  Make your role more interesting! New type of workers Individuals Your new habit centres will…

1.Build ‘person-centred partnerships’ 2.Understand the ‘labels’ and ‘symptoms’ of long term conditions 3.Use the ICE tool to gather information 4.Set goals and overcome challenges 5.Signpost people to other services 6.Uphold choices by reducing risk 7.Learn about assistive technologies to support self care How are we going to make self care support happen?

Self Care Training Manual: Implementing the Common Core principles for Self Care © Skills for Care, Albion Court, 5 Albion Place, Leeds LS1 6JL. All rights reserved. This material may be reproduced for non-commercial distribution in aid of social care workforce development, provided the copyright notices and acknowledgements are included in each reproduction. Requests for commercial publishing rights should be directed to Skills for Care. Referencing: Short reference: Skills for Care, 2009 Long reference: Skills for Care, Self Care Training Manual: Implementing the Common Core Principles for Self Care (Skills for Care, Leeds, 2009) Acknowledgements: This material was commissioned from jdee Training and Lancashire County Council by Skills for Care’s New Types of Worker programme in the north west. It was researched and compiled by Shaun Douglas Galley and Sarah Johnson.