© GettyImages / EtiAmmos
ENABLEMENT FEATURE
• I now stand back and let the client do more ;
• I encourage the client to try for themselves ;
• I am better able to motivate the client ;
• I feel more confident and this come across to the client ;
• I am able to explain the benefits of enablement ;
• I understand there are different levels of enablement to aim for ; and
• I am using the new techniques I learnt .
The most popular of the techniques covered during training were motivational skills , communication skills , backward chaining and how to break goals down .
The course uses an analogy based on baking a cake and each time this exercise was carried out I could see participants having a ‘ light bulb ’ moment . With very little prompting , participants are able to draw comparisons of finishing tasks for their clients and were encouraged to develop ways they can attend to the ‘ difficult bit ’ first , to allow clients to feel the gratification of succeeding by finishing the activity .
Those who completed the questionnaire noted that clients were keen to have a go , understood the purpose of enablement , experienced an increase in confidence and wellbeing , showed increased independence and trusted staff when they were asked to do something differently .
One respondent wrote , ‘ I am truly surprised by how much they can do at times ’, and another reported that ‘ some say we don ’ t have the time [ for enablement ], but the more clients do for themselves , the easier it will be for staff ’.
The questionnaires revealed that participants truly had understood that once the enablement approach is rolled out they will have more time to spend with those at the beginning of their rehabilitation .
One participant wrote : ‘ I have learnt , even with time restrictions and staffing issues , the importance of encouraging independence ’.
The interviews after the course were carried out on the units and relied on staff who had attended the training being available and willing to participate . In total , six members of staff met this requirement and all were willing to be interviewed .
The interviews took on an unstructured format , with just one preset question : ‘ Has the way you worked change since completing the training programme ?’ Follow-up questions were then asked in a conversational style , dependent on what the interviewees answered .
The unanimous response was that working practice had changed and those changes were being maintained . This was due to having more understanding of enablement , new technique to try , an increase in job satisfaction and increased confidence .
One interviewee stated : ‘ I always thought I would get into trouble if I didn ’ t look after people , but now I feel confident to get clients to do things for themselves , as I know it ’ s better for them in the long run ’. Another reported : ‘ I can now explain enablement in a way people understand it ; if someone wants me do it for them I ask them , but what would you do if you were at home and I wasn ’ t here ?’
I was pleased to find the training programme had been such a success and , more importantly , the changes that were made in the initial flurry of enthusiasm after the course had been maintained two months later .
I believe the reason for this is in embedded in the way the training focused on drawing out and tailoring existing skills before introducing new concepts . This gave the staff confidence and validation in themselves along with the tools to enable rather than care .
This can be summed up in one final quote : ‘[ The training ] confirmed what I already knew , only now I don ’ t feel guilty for pushing people ; I know it will improve their quality of life .’
References
Fovet F ( 2009 ) The use of humour in classroom interventions with students with social , emotional and behavioural difficulties , Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties , 14:4 , 275-289 , DOI :
10.1080 / 1363275 0903303104
Donna Morling-Grove , independent occupational therapist , Care Services Training Ltd
OTnews February 2021 53