In Domiciliary Care/Home Care, taking care of your patients is your primary responsibility. From medicine, pain relieving, meal preparation, etc. But, did you know that there are small changes that can be made that can create big ripples and large impacts in the way of optimizing the experience for both the carer and patient? Here we talk about the changes that you can make to enhance the experience of both the carer and patient. 

The Living Space. The first thing you can do in making small changes is to declutter and organize the living space. This means optimizing the living space for easier access for both the carer and the patient. Through decluttering, you remove the risk of tripping or having potential hazards littered around the house. And by Organizing the place, you improve the quality of life by making things easier to find, with things and objects being safely stored and categorized, eliminating the need to have to search. 

You can also personalize the living space, should you choose. Personal touches such as Family Photos, favorite artworks, and even cherished mementos can also have a significant impact on the patient’s emotional well being and reduce the feeling of being lonely. 

Lastly, you can also add modifications to the home to also assist in the recovery process for the patient if needed. Some patients might struggle with getting up, or seeing, or even walking. Non-slip matts, handlebars and installing proper lighting goes far and wide in ensuring their safety, and improving their quality of life while preventing any potential accidents from happening. 

Communication. Communication is the most vital aspect in any field, as a carer, communicating with the patient is crucial to finding out what they may be feeling in the current moment. That being said, it takes more than just listening to be a good communicator, especially in the home care industry. 

Participate in active listening. Give your full attention and show presence, empathy, feedback and clarification. This is important as it builds trust between the carer and the patient, allows the carer to understand the patients needs, improves their relationship and reduces misunderstandings in between the two. Also remember to empathize to the one speaking, especially if it's the patient. Their condition might make things a little bit difficult. Lastly, show some patience, and give them time to articulate their thoughts and feelings.  

Keeping them engaged. Keeping the patient engaged is another important aspect that you can make which creates a large impact for them. Through activities, you will be able to keep the patient both busy, stimulated and active which will promote a healthy and holistic lifestyle. To do this, you can consider several things. One of which is engaging in hobbies and interests. From reading  puzzles, gardening, or arts and crafts. You can also look into them having a pet, which would earn them a sense of responsibility. These two can promote engagement and keeps them both physically and mentally stimulated. 

In Domiciliary/Home care, there are multiple ways to upgrade the experience. From these small changes that to some might be miniscule go a quite a long way for the patient and improving their quality of life.