Now I’ve got the Knowledge, Where Do I Start?

So, you’ve taken the step of upping or refreshing your skills by investing in some training. We often feel highly motivated and inspired and know now we can then make an even bigger difference in our day-to-day work tasks. For those who have children, just like parenting, we reflect on how we, ourselves were parented and say to ourselves, ‘No I won’t be parenting that way.’ or ‘I definitely will never say that to my child.’ How often though do we hear ourselves, or even our children saying something our parent or carer used to say to us? We then think ‘How did that happen?’

I’m afraid for most of us, ‘old habits die hard’.

How then can we stop ourselves from slipping back into old habits and start implementing the new skills we know can make an even bigger impact on our residents or loved ones whom we care so much about? Sometimes the stress of the day to get everything done or our lack of confidence in applying our new knowledge or a concern that others may think we’re over-reacting or too cautious, stop us from applying our new knowledge.

We need to be mindful that the new knowledge gained has usually been delivered by someone with years of very specialised knowledge and experience. Like a superhero, we need to be brave and step forward for the sake of those we care for. We’re sometimes their only advocate. Our elderly population deserves us using all the knowledge and experience we’ve acquired to provide the absolute best care for them, just as we would want in their situation.

Personally, I find that if I can take away and implement just one of the strategies I’ve learnt in a course I’ve taken, it empowers me. Once that one strategy has become a habit, I can add a second. For swallowing safety, simply asking about or observing any signs that there may be discomfort or something different with a person’s eating or drinking is a great start. Listen for coughing before, during or after a meal. Just making a point of being aware of that can make a huge difference to a resident’s wellbeing. Just start. One tiny observation at a time. With each resident. You’re on your way to making an even bigger difference in their world.