Often clients follow a particular routine or like to know what is happening for them each day. Having a schedule board can advise the client on what support staff are working with them that day, what activities they have planned for the day and it reduces the anxiety for the client as they know what is happening over the day. It also communicates to the staff working who is coming onto shift later that day. As well as informing staff on what activities are on the agenda for that day.
For some clients they may like a certain routine to be followed. This can be a morning routine or bedtime routine. By having a documented routine, it informs both the client and staff what to do and in what order. This is particularly important for new staff and reduces the frequency of incidents related to a staff not knowing the client routine.
We can document a particular task or procedure and give a step by step outline that care staff can use to support a client. This procedure could be attached to a care plan. For example, how to administer a medication, such as an enema or suppository. This procedure would form part of the client’s bowel care plan.
The step by step procedure can also be a task or routine a client likes to follow in a particular way. For example: a client may like to get dressed sitting on a favourite chair and likes to put certain items of clothing on in particular order. Perhaps wanting to put on their socks on before their pants.
Clients with OCD behaviours and often clients on the Autism spectrum are quite set in their ideas on how a particular task or routine should be done and can greatly benefit by having their support staff all consistently follow the same routine or sequence of tasks.
