Now that we have the basics about Easy Living covered, let’s talk about our clients. After all, they are the ones that we are here for, right?
View the complete Client Bill of Rights
Our clients are all unique, each with their own personalities, preferences, and needs. It’s our job to make sure each one gets the care they need and deserve during every shift. We want our clients to feel cared for and valued, and you are an integral part of the Easy Living client experience.
Every client we serve has certain rights. We inform our clients about their rights when they start their services. Let’s take some time to go over three important client rights that we value here at Easy Living.
Clients have the right to know about their care options and be a part of their care plan.
We’ll talk more about the care plan in Chapter 3 of our orientation, but it is important to note that our services are person-centered. This means we put the client at the center of all of our decisions, including treatments and services they get. We are here to support their health and independence goals, and we can’t know what is important to them unless we ask.
Clients have the right to refuse care, treatments, or services.
Sometimes, a client just isn’t going to want to take a shower for one reason or another. They may refuse to take a certain medication. They could refuse care because they are having a bad day or because they want to avoid a side effect. No matter what, they have the right to refuse. It’s your role as a caregiver to document that refusal. It is also your role to tell them any implications of their refusal. For example, you might say, “Mr. Jones, I can tell you don’t want to take your water pill today. But if you refuse, your ankles could swell up again like a few months ago and that was painful.” It is also your role to reapproach the refusal at another time. For example, you can say, “Ms. Evelyn, I can tell you don’t want to take your shower right now and that’s okay. Can we do it after lunch so that we have plenty of time to get you dolled up for your dinner with your daughter tonight?”
Clients have the right to effective, efficient, and safe care.
Easy Living clients deserve the best care we can offer them. The care you give should be exceptional, and it should be as efficient as possible. This means that you should give care that doesn’t waste time or resources. Care should also be safe, which means you should use best practices to keep your client and yourself as safe as possible while in the home.
Let’s move on to another important topic: abuse and neglect.
