Centrality and Person Centred Care

Centrality means looking at the individual as a whole and putting them at the centre of everything. Therefore person centred planning is an essential aspect of this.   This should be holistic and focused on the individual’s needs, lives, history and preferences.   By focusing on all aspects of an individual including aspiration will ensure their wellbeing and self-esteem is maintained.
Person centred care aims to promote the independence and autonomy of an individual rather than focussing on their disability. Instead of treating the person as a collection of symptoms and behaviours to be controlled,   person centred care means considering the whole person, taking into account each individual’s unique qualities, abilities, interests, preferences and needs.   Person centred care also means treating individuals with dignity both respecting and promoting choice and independence at all times.   Ensuring individuals are treated with a holistic and person centred approach will promote an individual’s feeling of individuality and self-esteem.   Having a disability should not determine whether or not an individual’s aspiration cannot be met, choices and decisions need to be addressed with the individual at the centre of all planning to assist them to achieve their goals.
Within my own organisation I had the opportunity to review an individual’s care package.   The client resided in a nursing home and the review took place with a family member present.   The client was largely immobile and aphasic, was unable to communicate and unresponsive to the care workers. At the review I encouraged the family member to provide me with as much information as possible on client’s life including their career, family, achievements, preferences and lifestyle.   This allowed me to build a profile of the individual’s life which I passed onto her regular carers.   I also encouraged the family member to purchase a device which would allow the client to communicate electronically.   This prompted a...