Providing support for people with life-limiting conditions requires you to understand the meaning of the condition and its effects on individuals. It’s vital to identify and acknowledge an individual’s concerns and sources of distress, and respond to these effectively.
Overview
Topic 2: Communicating with people with life-limiting conditions will help you develop your skills in communicating with people with life-limiting conditions and their families.
Aims & Objectives
After completing this topic, you should be able to:
- recognise how your own values and beliefs about death and dying affect your personal responses and interactions with people with life-limiting conditions and their families
- demonstrate the principles of effective communication when interacting with people with life-limiting conditions and their families
- identify sources of psychological, social and spiritual support for people with life-limiting conditions and their families.
Sessions
describe common psychological and existential challenges faced by people with life-limiting conditions
describe evidence based screening strategies to better understand sources of distress for people with life-limiting conditions.
Challenges faced
Identifying sources of distress
– Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI)
– Distress Thermometer
discuss supportive communication strategies used to identify the concerns of people with life-limiting conditions
identify evidence based strategies to respond to the needs and concerns of people with life-limiting conditions
demonstrate skills and knowledge by engaging in supportive communication roleplay.
Being present and listening
Communication principles
PREPARED model
Expert opinion – Communicating challenging news
Supporting the transition to palliative care
Loss and grieving
Case Study- Michelle responding to losses
identify elements of spiritual care when caring for someone with a life-limiting condition
develop an awareness of communication strategies that will support the spiritual dimension of care for people with life-limiting conditions.
Understanding spiritual needs
Engaging in spiritual conversations
Case Study- Michelle discusses spirituality
describe principles for communicating with people with a life-limiting condition from a culturally and linguistically diverse background
identify the role of professional interpreters in supporting effective communication in palliative care settings
identify resources to assist communication with a person from a culturally and linguistically diverse background.
Intercultural communication principles
Communicating with people where English is their second language
Working with interpreters
Case Study – Amy is admitted to an aged care facility
Respecting cultural diversity
Case Study – Amy’s cultural and individual care needs
identify self-care strategies to manage the challenges that arise from interacting with people with life-limiting conditions.
Understanding the importance of self-care
Expert opinion – Self-care
Adopting self-care strategies
Reflective practice
Expert opinion – Self-care strategy and reflective practice