By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:

Discuss the responsibilities of all parties involved in the care of a client
Assess and agree upon responsibilities that the client is able to take upon themselves.

Shared responsibility

You will need to discuss responsibilities of all parties involved with the client’s care.

These may include :

The client
The client’s family, which may include contacting separately:
- client’s partner
- siblings
- children.
- other relatives or friends.
Service providers:
- other carers
- cleaners
- maintenance people e.g. for changing lightbulbs, gardening, etc.

This is so that you can establish who will do what and when, what is acceptable and what is not, for all parties concerned. Your client will also need to know what your role or service covers/doesn’t cover. It is important to remember that these may well change over time as your client’s needs change. You should plan to review these changes on a regular basis.

Client’s responsibilities

Client’s responsibilities will be unique to each client. You will need to agree what it is that they are willing and able to do for themselves.

For example :

A client may want some help getting their socks on, but are able to manage their shoes themselves
You may be asked to prepare dinner for a client, but the client may want to wash up afterwards.
The client needs help with transport to and from places, but makes and keeps appointments, such as doctors, dentists, vets, etc. themselves.
A client may be able to vacuum and dust, but needs help with cleaning the oven and mopping.