Care home workers poor English

Sometimes a gentle touch, such as holding a hand and talking softly is all that’s needed to calm a person confused with dementia…

My grandad could not say words at the end as he had dementia but managed to read and write. His last words written to me as his carer just as he went on to the Liverpool Pathway were, "Time to say my thank yous." He would not have been able to learn Makaton (or anything) as an elderly man but would remember things from his youth when all his recent memories were gone; this happens often with dementia. We use Makaton still with our ASD grandson because when his language skills fail him, he can still communicate. We can also use pictures on cards on difficult days. I think there are lots of ways you can communicate with those with Dementia but there seems to be a lack of imagination in lots of care homes.

BSL is developed (not exclusively) for the deaf. Makaton more (but not exclusively) for the hearing. They are not in competition. This can be misunderstood.
There are over 200 dementias. Some people can live with dementia for many years and medication is promoting this.For them the decline is slow and they are open to developments that may help them in the future. Makaton fits for some people. In some cases of dementia where the body and brain are deteriorating at different speeds then the body deteriorates faster than the brain so to talk, to write is physically impossible but to point, to indicate is possible.
As I've said before, Makaton is fluid, it can be adapted to the individual. They may only need to utilise a tiny part of the whole.
People on this thread have said they are/have used Makaton with those living with dementia and it's been beneficial. I have seen it benefiting those living with dementia. That, to me, is worth more than any academic paper, and l find it highly frustrating that you extol words rather than action.
I wish you well.

OldFrill Up to 70-80% of all dementia patients suffer from Alzheimers. Vascular causes account for 20%. The other 198 causes of dementia are concentrated into, probably less than 5%of total dementia cases. and some types will be incredibly rare.

Most dementia patients are able to talk to the end. It is what is happenng in their minds that is confused - and it is this that means trying to teach people with severe memory loss anything new is going to be useless.

As well, if the only reason we want to do this is because they have difficulty understanding people caring for them who do not speak their own language well or understand their past, then quite frankly we are treating the problem from the wrong end.

What we need to do is make sure that caring for older people is a much better paid profession, with opportunities for training and advancement so that it attracts its staff from people already in this country who are native English speakers and have lived in the country long enough to remember life in the UK in the in the decades since the 1980s.

I do so agree with that, Monica. Suggesting that people with dementia learn a new language is making communication the dementia sufferers problem, when in fact it’s a carer problem.

Our friend with dementia has spoken barely a word for three years, does not recognise a single person, is doubly incontinent, has to be fed and for much of the time when awake has their eyes closed. They also have no body or spatial awareness. Good luck teaching a new language to them.

OldFrill

BSL is developed (not exclusively) for the deaf. Makaton more (but not exclusively) for the hearing. They are not in competition. This can be misunderstood.
There are over 200 dementias. Some people can live with dementia for many years and medication is promoting this.For them the decline is slow and they are open to developments that may help them in the future. Makaton fits for some people. In some cases of dementia where the body and brain are deteriorating at different speeds then the body deteriorates faster than the brain so to talk, to write is physically impossible but to point, to indicate is possible.
As I've said before, Makaton is fluid, it can be adapted to the individual. They may only need to utilise a tiny part of the whole.
People on this thread have said they are/have used Makaton with those living with dementia and it's been beneficial. I have seen it benefiting those living with dementia. That, to me, is worth more than any academic paper, and l find it highly frustrating that you extol words rather than action.
I wish you well.

Yes, I prefer properly researched academic papers to random, anonymous people on a social media site.

A number of people on this thread have already pointed out why Makaton is not a good solution for all those with dementia.

I don't have much experience of people with dementia, although my children give me regular updates about what's happening with their grandmother (my ex's mother). However, I am a trained language teacher. Teaching a language involves understanding how people learn languages. I have also studied language acquisition (including children with SEN), so have some idea how the brain works when acquiring language. Dementia isn't just a reversal of language skills. As some have said, language is often retained until the end of life - it's something more fundamental which is causing problems.

I have dealt with people in my own family who had dementia, a childles aunt and uncle who lived near me. I was also a vounteer Home Visitor with Age Concern, now called Age UK, for over 10 years and met people with many forms of dementia.

I have used and taught Makaton for people with learning disabilities which is what it was developed for. I wouldn't dream of using it with the people with dementia at the care home I volunteer at. It never even crossed my mind until I read it on this thread. I agree wholeheartedly with M0nica

I agree with M0nica too.
Although people with Alzheimer's may not lose the power of speech even in later stages, what they are saying, often to themselves, may be incomprehensible to others. How would they be expected to learn a new language when they are having difficulty making sense of the world around them anyway?

It’s appalling to suggest that someone who has lost the power to communicate effectively should learn an alternative means of communication for the benefit of carers whose English is inadequate. The carers may be kind people with the best of intentions but they need to be able to understand the needs of their patients, be they physical needs such as a drink or going to the loo or emotional needs such as some level of conversation even if they can’t speak. I despair at the use of foreign carers who can’t understand or be understood and have no idea of the patient’s culture and things they held dear when younger. Should we really be giving such people (and I don’t say that with malice or in a racist way) visas rather than encouraging our own people to be carers, with better pay and conditions? See Shinamae’s post above - the sort of carer we would all want for ourselves or our loved ones.

All my working life has been in care. The wonderful ladies and gentlemen that we went to complained on a daily basis that they couldn't understand a word they said and visa versa and 1 chap wouldn't allow them over his threshold so obviously no carer... no help. I TRIED to talk to him but he was having none of it.

Then 1 time I entered the home of an adorable lady and was greeted by THANK GOODNESS ITS YOU, THE LASS BEFORE YOU DIDNT KNOW HOW TO MAKE ME A FLASK OF BLOODY TEA .... she was referring to the language barrier not the process..... i could go on and on regarding the matter and I have scratched my head wondering how on earth they pass the interview.

It is so sad that people reach a stage in their lives where they need help with everyday tasks, that is heartbreaking to see but to then have the distress and upset of the language barrier is allll too hard to bare.

But GSM, do you honestly think that there are 150,000 people with fluent English just sitting around waiting to be employed as care assistants? Even if the wages were to be increased substantially, is there any guarantee that these people would be suitable for caring work?

If visas were to be cut for people from abroad with proven good caring skills, we'd end up with nobody. The only solution is to make the best of the situation we're in and improve the language for specific purposes skills of the people we already have.

Care Homes are screaming out for staff and I speak from personal experience when I say that Care In The Home Agencies are in a similar position. Councils limit the amount of hours they will pay if you stay in your home so getting help is a nightmare. My daughter is still waiting for help in her area (over 12 months) as agencies say they have no availability. It is a crisis even with the poor English speaking staff we have.

THE LASS BEFORE YOU DIDNT KNOW HOW TO MAKE ME A FLASK OF BLOODY TEA ..

Need for a lightweight booklet with nothing but simple coloured drawings, no text,of common needs e.g. milk being poured into a mug: Tea in a mug : lavatory pan : lady or man on a commode: Toilet paper: Lady or man washing face etc. : a person having a shower: telephone: hearing aids: spectacles : false teeth: bed: television: Knife and fork: spoon and dish: towel: person being given a bath or shower: and so forth.

Re Makaton for old people in care. Sure the situation is not that somebody sits down an attempts to teach anyone anything whatsoever. Flexible care is making best use of what is to hand . Makaton's basic medium is gesture, and you don't have to buy the whole shop ,you can improvise.

many people in care can still see a teapot , a tea bag or a mug. Why not point to whatever you want to suggest if moveable? You can demonstrate wiping your nose, sitting down , having a wash. Smile and nod .

I've been on the other side of this. When I was a student, I worked in an old people's home in Germany. My German was pretty good, but obviously not perfect.

I was working in the kitchen and we'd run out of pickles. I had no idea where they were in the storeroom and I didn't know what the German for pickles was, so I had a think and thought of the word "preserves", so I asked where the "Präservativen" were. Little did I know that this was a German word for condoms.

Caleo

Re Makaton for old people in care. Sure the situation is not that somebody sits down an attempts to teach anyone anything whatsoever. Flexible care is making best use of what is to hand . Makaton's basic medium is gesture, and you don't have to buy the whole shop ,you can improvise.

many people in care can still see a teapot , a tea bag or a mug. Why not point to whatever you want to suggest if moveable? You can demonstrate wiping your nose, sitting down , having a wash. Smile and nod .

That's what I meant about communication. It could be anything - mime, gestures, pointing, cards. I guess the important thing is that people aren't ignored and attempts are made to communicate.

But that kind of gesturing is a normal part of life, and will be happening anyway.

But again if the purpose of this is to help people in care understand care workers with a poor command of English, then we are dealing with the problem from the wrong end.

When foreign workers come over they should do a compulsory course, lasting, probably 6 weeks that brings them up to a high standard of english, including understanding the local accents and phraseology of the area they will work in. they should also learn about the lives these people would have lived, the work, the television and so on. This should be paid by the employer sponsoring them.

This would make employers more careful about which workers they bring over and their base command of English.

It is normal that many staff do not understand in English in care settings

It depends on the starting point. Most people granted a work visa should already be at Level B1. To reach Level B2, learners need 180-260 hours of learning, which would be very difficult to achieve in six weeks. Languages are learnt best little and often.

TBH, I'd need language lessons if I had to work in certain parts of the country.

Well, a block of six weeks and then continuing 1 day a week until a high standard is reached.

The need to understand local accents and vocabulary should be a key part of any initial block of learning.

M0nica

Well, a block of six weeks and then continuing 1 day a week until a high standard is reached.

The need to understand local accents and vocabulary should be a key part of any initial block of learning.

That would be absolutely excellent, but I can’t see it happening unfortunately…
We also have online training which I sometimes struggle with but managed to get through. I really can’t see how the Indians can do this when they don’t even understand basic English, but they seem to get through it. 🤷‍♀️

Shinamae

M0nica

Well, a block of six weeks and then continuing 1 day a week until a high standard is reached.

The need to understand local accents and vocabulary should be a key part of any initial block of learning.

That would be absolutely excellent, but I can’t see it happening unfortunately…
We also have online training which I sometimes struggle with but managed to get through. I really can’t see how the Indians can do this when they don’t even understand basic English, but they seem to get through it. 🤷‍♀️

It would be interesting to know how they get work visas in the first place. They're supposed to have some English, even if the standard is quite low and doesn't include technical language.

That puzzles me too growstuff. Might the care homes sponsor their visa applications and somehow get round the rules?

Germanshepherdsmum

That puzzles me too growstuff. Might the care homes sponsor their visa applications and somehow get round the rules?

Most of the Indians that work in my care home are sponsored..