Care homes are many things to many people, and they can help in a lot of different ways, but one of the main things they can do is provide comfort and support for people who might not be able to live at home anymore, for all kinds of reasons.
One way that this can happen is through making some very strong relationships in the care home, whether that’s between residents or staff or, of course, a combination of the two. It’s more than just giving people the physical help they need – it’s about trying to make the care home feel like home, and building strong relationships is a great way to go about it. With that in mind, here are some things you can do to build strong relationships in care homes that will benefit everyone.
Open Communication
Something that’s going to help when it comes to building relationships in care homes is having good open communication for everyone. That’s going to help encourage staff, residents, and families (which is important but could easily be forgotten) to communicate regularly and properly with each other, and that’s how relationships can be created or improved, depending on who’s involved.
If you run a care home, make sure you have regular meetings with everyone involved in a resident’s care so you can check in to make sure all is well and talk about feedback, problems, and more. Open communication and regular chats means that any problems can be solved quickly, and you’ll be able to offer a sense of a strong relationship at the same time.
Offer Lots Of Activities
It’s a good idea to try to bring residents (and staff) together as much as possible, as that’s the ideal way to build strong relationships and keep people not just fit and active, but happy too.
You can do arts and crafts, group outings, musical nights and performances, guest speakers, and so much more – the more you can do the better. When you put on special events and activities, people can come together and have fun, bonding over a shared love of something or the fun they’re having, and that’s going to create some wonderful relationships.
Show Empathy And Compassion
What’s really at the heart of creating strong relationships in care homes like Kingston care homes is when you’re able to show empathy and compassion to the residents. It might sound strange, but the fact is that when you and the staff take the time to listen to stories and memories from the care home residents, they’ll feel much happier and more at ease (and at home), and they’ll form better relationships as a result.
It doesn’t take much to be compassionate; sitting with someone while they talk about the past or listening to a problem and being empathetic, even if you haven’t got a solution, can often be enough to make a real difference in someone’s life, and the improved relationships you leave behind will be important ones.
Staff Training
Something else that’s going to help when it comes to building strong relationships is giving staff the right training and resources they’ll need to do their job properly. They’ll need to learn how to actively listen, communicate with everyone they need to (including residents’ families), and do their jobs safely.
If you offer plenty of training, your team will be much more confident in their roles, and that confidence means they’ll be happy to form good relationships with the people they work with and the people they’re helping.
