Reflection
Have you ever had a challenging conversation in your life, either at work or in your personal life? What was the situation, and how did you approach it? What did you learn from that experience?
While many aspects of working in aged care are rewarding and fulfilling, there are moments when support workers must engage in challenging conversations. These conversations may involve sensitive topics, difficult decisions, and emotional discussions that require empathy, skill, and a thoughtful approach.
Why Challenging Conversations Arise
Challenging conversations can surface for a variety of reasons, and they are an integral part of providing comprehensive care. Review the scenarios below where support workers may find themselves engaged in these discussions. Select the label or (+) to expand the section.
End-of-Life Care Planning
Support workers may need to discuss end-of-life care preferences and decisions with residents and their families. This could involve topics such as do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders, hospice care, and palliative care.
When a resident's health deteriorates or when there's a significant change in their condition, support workers may need to communicate these changes with both the resident and their family.
Residents or their families may raise complaints or concerns about the quality of care or specific incidents. Support workers may need to address these issues, investigate, and resolve them.
If there are changes in a resident's care plan, support workers must communicate these adjustments, ensuring the resident and their family understand the rationale and the impact on care delivery.
Emotional support is an essential part of aged care. Support workers often engage in challenging conversations to address feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety, or grief with residents.
Support workers may encounter conflicts with their colleagues, which can affect teamwork and the overall quality of care. Addressing these conflicts effectively is crucial.
Who Challenging Conversations Involve
Challenging conversations in aged care can take place with various individuals, including:
- Residents: Support workers may directly discuss their care, preferences, and emotional needs with residents.
- Families and Caregivers: Conversations often involve the families of residents, who may play a significant role in decision-making.
- Colleagues: Support workers may need to address conflicts and collaborate with their colleagues to ensure the best care for residents.
- Healthcare Professionals: Interactions with nurses, doctors, therapists, and specialists may be necessary to ensure the best care for residents.
Activity - Scenario and Questions
Meet Hinemoa, a dedicated support worker with a reputation for her compassionate nature and Mr. Potts, a long-term resident who has recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Today, we find Hinemoa in a pivotal conversation with Mr. Potts's family:
The Situation:
Mr. Potts, a beloved resident, has received a life-altering diagnosis, which has left his family deeply shaken. The news comes with a mixture of emotions and many unanswered questions for the Potts family.
The Challenging Conversation:
Turning to Hinemoa for support, the Potts family shares their concerns, confusion, and emotional distress following the diagnosis. In this conversation, Hinemoa, our dedicated support worker, plays a crucial role:
- She offers a compassionate listening ear to the family, creating a safe space for their fears and hopes.
- Hinemoa addresses their questions regarding the daily changes they might notice in Mr. Potts's care.
- She explains the care and support provided to Mr. Potts to ensure his comfort and well-being.
- Hinemoa gently guides the family in understanding the broader healthcare team's role in managing Mr. Potts's condition.
While Hinemoa may not deliver the terminal diagnosis, her presence is invaluable in providing reassurance, explaining the daily care adjustments, and ensuring that the family's concerns are acknowledged and respected. Her approach is characterised by empathy and understanding, fostering open communication between the family and the healthcare team during this challenging time.
Reflect on the question below and choose the most relevant answer.
Conflict in the context of working in the health and well-being sector can be defined as a situation where individuals or groups have opposing interests, needs, or perspectives that can lead to tension, disagreement, or discord. Conflict can manifest in various ways, verbal disputes, differences in values or beliefs, or even subtle disagreements in care approaches.
The important things to remember about conflict are:
- Conflict is a natural and inevitable part of human interaction, and it's how we deal with that conflict that truly matters, as it can either drive us apart or bring us closer together.
- It is more than just a disagreement; conflict arises when one or more people feel threatened (which may or may not be real).
- Ignoring conflict does not make it go away. This is because conflict involves perceived threats, and these threats stay with people unless they are resolved.
- Conflicts bring about strong emotions. If people cannot manage their emotions, they are unlikely to be able to resolve a conflict.
- Conflict is not always bad. Although it can be destructive, a conflict that is well-managed can release emotion and stress and even strengthen relationships.
Addressing conflict in a constructive manner is crucial to maintaining a positive and effective working relationship with colleagues, residents, and their families, so let's delve deeper into the nature of conflict and its management.
Effectively managing conflict and challenges is a hallmark of strong leadership in the aged care sector.
There are a number of ways of dealing with conflict, but the important thing is to deal with it quickly:
- people become more fixed in their views
- others become involved and take sides
- negative emotions make solving the conflict more difficult.
REMEMBER: Effective communication is a key factor in managing and resolving conflicts. As we've discussed in our previous sessions on effective communication techniques, it involves active listening, clear expression of thoughts and feelings, and a willingness to understand the perspectives of others. Good communication can prevent misunderstandings and promote constructive conflict resolution.
Scenario
You work in an aged care facility, and you have noticed a growing tension between two of your colleagues, Lexi and Ren. This tension has been building over the past week due to differing opinions on the best approach to care for a resident named Mrs Sheppard, who has advanced dementia. Lexi believes in a more structured routine for Mrs Sheppard, while Ren thinks a more flexible, person-centred approach is better.
Over the days, the situation worsens as both Lexi and Ren become increasingly entrenched in their views. They avoid talking to each other, and the quality of care for Mrs Sheppard is starting to suffer. Other staff members have noticed the conflict and are becoming uncomfortable.
Activity - Quiz
Answer the following two questions based on the scenario provided.
This scenario demonstrates the importance of addressing conflict promptly to maintain the quality of care. It also highlights the negative consequences of unresolved conflict, which can impact not only the individuals involved but also the overall work environment and staff morale.
Conflict resolution refers to the process of resolving disagreements, disputes, or conflicts between individuals or groups in a peaceful and constructive manner. It involves finding a mutually acceptable solution to the issues at hand, promoting understanding, and improving relationships. Effective conflict resolution can lead to a more harmonious work or personal environment and prevent conflicts from escalating into more significant problems.
If your organisation has a Conflict Resolution policy and procedures, it is helpful to be aware of what these entail and access them easily. These are designed to help resolve a complaint or conflict quickly and fairly in a consistent manner with the organisation’s values. When attempting to resolve conflict within a team, you first need to understand the cause of the conflict and then arrange a meeting with the relevant team members.
- Clarify what the disagreement is—Continue to ask questions until you are satisfied you understand what the disagreement is about. Sometimes, parties see the disagreement differently, so it is important to understand how each team member views the issue.
- Establish and negotiate a common goal for all parties—Establish what each member would like to see happen. If both sides agree on a common goal, they are more likely to work through the required changes or processes to reach it. Continue asking questions until all parties can agree on an outcome.
- Discuss ways to meet the common goal—Ask what problems may prevent a resolution and discuss these. By understanding what problems may be, you can find solutions.
- Determine barriers to the common goal—Understanding possible problems that can occur is important so a resolution can be found. It is important for everyone to understand what can and cannot be changed and work around fixed issues.
- Agree on the best way to resolve conflict—Everyone needs to agree on the best solution. Begin by asking each person what they consider common ground. This can help to find a solution that everyone can live with. This also leads to a discussion about responsibilities in maintaining the solution and understanding how the conflict came about so it doesn’t arise again.
- Acknowledge the agreed solution and responsibility–the point where they own their responsibility in resolving the conflict. Having all involved express what they have agreed to is important to be confident that everyone is on the same page and understands what is to happen moving forward. Following up with an email outlining these responsibilities can be helpful to ensure, once again, that these are clear to all.
Activity
Watch: How to handle workplace conflict with Parag Patel of Dunkin'- Career Talk (4:29)
Dealing with conflict in the workplace may seem daunting. But it doesn't have to be! Parag Patel, a franchise owner of Dunkin', shares how he handles conflict in the workplace (and how you can deal with it, too!). Watch for tips on how to overcome workplace conflict.
Empathy and compassion play a critical role in navigating challenging conversations within the aged care setting. By understanding and practising these qualities, support workers can create a more empathetic and caring environment for residents and their families. Here's what you need to know:
1. Empathy Defined
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. In the context of aged care, it means putting yourself in the shoes of the resident or colleague, trying to see the world from their perspective, and acknowledging their emotions and needs.
2. Compassion Defined
Compassion involves not only understanding but also acting upon that understanding with kindness and care. It's about taking steps to alleviate suffering and make a positive impact.
3. The Importance of Empathy and Compassion
In challenging conversations, residents and their families may be dealing with a range of emotions, including fear, sadness, or frustration. Empathy and compassion can:
- Create a safe and supportive space for sharing concerns.
- Enhance trust and rapport between support workers and residents/families.
- Improve the overall experience of care, even in difficult circumstances.
4. Demonstrating Empathy and Compassion
- Active Listening: Pay close attention to what residents and families are saying. Use verbal and non-verbal cues to show that you are fully present.
- Validate Feelings: Let them know that their emotions are acknowledged and valid.
- Offer Support: Ask how you can assist and what their preferences are in terms of care or communication.
Activity: Forum
Choose an interaction with a classmate/colleague/client and make a conscious effort to practice empathy. It could be a conversation, meeting, or any engagement where you need to understand and connect with the other person's emotions and perspective.
Practice empathy in two ways:
- Listening Actively: Focus on actively listening during the interaction. Try to understand their emotions and concerns without interruptions.
- Ask Open-Ended Questions: Encourage them to share by asking open-ended questions that prompt them to express themselves.
Reflect on your experience: After the interaction, reflect on:
- Your feelings during the empathetic practice.
- The other person's emotions and how you responded.
- Any changes in the interaction's quality or dynamics.
- What you've learned from the experience.
Share your insights:
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Share your reflections in the practice empathy forum thread.
