Person-centred care means care that is designed around the individual and the aims and objectives that are important to them.
The care that you receive should be person-centred and should put you at the centre of planning and decision-making, allowing you to have a say in exactly what is important to you. This could include your interests, your aspirations and what makes you happy.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself to check if the approach to your care has been person-centred:
- Have you been prepared to participate in the meeting, planning or review?
- Do you know what ‘the point’ of the meeting is?
- Do you know and can you express when things are going well and when they are not?
- Have your communication needs been addressed?
- Have you been asked what your views are?
- Do you feel your views have been heard and recorded?
- Do you feel that the review/plan/assessment is reflective of your whole life?
- If people are helping you to make certain decisions, do they understand what is important to you?
Setting your own goals
If you aren’t sure about what you want to do yet, you could start off by asking yourself the following questions about your interests.
- What do want to achieve with your life?
- Would you like to go to college? Further education? Would you like a job? What knowledge and/or qualifications do you need to do this?
- Do you want to volunteer some of your time to a good cause or get involved in things like local events or politics?
- How would you like your home life to be in the future?
- Do you want to develop your skills in a certain sport or other physical activity?
A useful way of planning how to achieve your goals is the SMART plan:
Specific – you will need to have a specific goal in mind.
Measurable – how will you know when you have reached your goal?
Achievable – make sure you set a goal that is achievable.
Relevant and realistic – if you are looking for a skilled job you will not be able to achieve this without the relevant qualification or experience.
Time – set yourself time limits to reach your overall goal or individual milestones.
‘Skills You Need’ has produced a useful Priority Matrix to help you manage your time and work out what decisions are most important.