Orderlies and Relational Care
Orderlies who work in assisted living and long-term care residences have a tough job.
Not only is the work physically and mentally demanding, but they have to walk a fine line. The ‘job’ must be done, of course, but the orderly is also there to serve the residents. They are there to help them. And to listen to their human needs – not just tell them what to do, when and how.
The daily work life of an orderly would be more rewarding if they knew how to use an approach that isn’t necessarily taught in primary care training.
Their level of engagement would improve, and job satisfaction would naturally improve as well. That’s good for everyone – the employee, the residents, management, and ownership.
Relational care and human relationships are important to everyone.
Good relationships nurture our sense of safety, security, and belonging. They contribute to our sense of purpose and significance, among other things. Enjoying solid relationships with others is comforting.
In the case of orderlies working in LTC or Assisted Living residences, providing relational care means supporting the person who is living with dementia. It means they are nurturing, emotionally present and and genuinely open and honest with them in a respectful way.
Of course, relational care is a study in itself.
We touched on the topic simply to point out the connection between relational caring and many of the teachings of the adapted Montessori Method.
For example, the adapted Montessori method strongly promotes and encourages a focus on preserved capacities. We want to help them maintain or regain some of the activities of daily living (ADL). It is much more beneficial for all to allow the person to do various tasks themselves, with supervision and with the patience that the relationship warrants, than to do it for them.
The adapted Montessori method also stresses the necessity and importance of providing choices and requesting permission to allow the person living with dementia to maintain some level of control over their life and their independence.
Orderlies can provide relational care.
When residents are consulted and given choices about things that affect them, they are much happier and are unlikely to respond in a disruptive way.
To provide relational care an individual must acknowledge the human behind the dementia. They gain insight by learning their life history. This aligns precisely with the adapted Montessori method of person-centered care.
In our experience, when residence owners and management teams decide to train their staff in the adapted Montessori method, it is with the understanding that their entire team – including many orderlies – will benefit immensely by gaining the skills needed to provide a high-quality and mutually beneficial type of care.
They know that the adapted Montessori method is highly regarded and that residences that train in the method are well positioned to create an environment where residents know and care for each other and collaborate with caregivers to sustain their environment, all while providing a healthy ROI (Return on Investment) in the process.
