Care and Compliance
Building a business that represents the values I want to impart to our clients takes work. Trying to help someone, who, for lack of better words, may prefer to do things on their own, can be difficult. It’s not just a matter of creating a care plan and fostering a good relationship, it also requires careful navigation of policies and procedures that must be adhered to in order to ensure compliance. So much of caregiving is dictated by policy and regulations for good reason, but it can create challenges. These challenges are especially apparent when it comes to the details of running a value-driven care business in the necessary framework of compliance.
Having a client that prefers to do things for themself, can be a struggle, a constant tightrope walk to shift focus from “doing for them” to “enabling them.” In assisting someone, it’s often hard to refrain from just “doing for”, but because we are providing care, it’s important to identify helping versus doing. This isn't just a soft skill; it's a strategic approach to care planning that involves building trust so that the client views the caregiver as a partner in their autonomy, not an intruder or a replacement.
One of the most difficult aspects of caregiving is ensuring every staff member understands and embodies the core values you want to impart, making the client experience consistent regardless of who is providing care. This is why hiring the right people, training, not only for compliance, but empathy and adherence to core values and regulations, and caregiver matching play such important roles. However, it’s also critical to be conscious of a client’s autonomy, which is why schedules and routines should be somewhat malleable, whenever possible; just because a shower typically takes place at 8:30 AM, doesn’t mean that it has to take place at that time.
In essence, building a value-driven care business is the work of harmonizing three critical components: Compassion, Autonomy, and Compliance. The challenge is ensuring the policies support, rather than overshadow, the values. The value-driven work is to create scheduling procedures that are elastic and prioritize the client's preference while ensuring safety and accountability.
Imagine a person recovering from the devastating loss of their mobility or the sudden inability to perform once-simple tasks for themselves. Consider the grieving senior whose mind is too clouded by sorrow to think about preparing dinner or keeping track of complex medication schedules.
The honest truth is, the meaning of care depends entirely on the person.
No two life situations are ever alike; this deeply personal reality is precisely why comprehensive assessments are conducted and individualized care plans are meticulously drafted. The goal is to meet them exactly where they are, not where we expect them to be.
This commitment to transparent communication is the crucial difference between merely giving a client a care plan and ensuring a person has the genuine understanding that you are dedicated to providing the specific support they need and value most. It is about treating their emotional well-being and personal choices with the utmost respect.
