Empowerment

1. Empowering Individuals
Lesson 6
Adapting activities and taking
account of the individual

2. Starter
• Write a postcard to a friend explaining what you
have learned so far in this unit.
• Draw a picture for the front showing what you
have learnt

3. By the end of this session you will:
• Define the term empowerment
• Discuss how important it is to individuals to
have our likes and dislikes considered
• Identify how we can take account of an
individual

4. Empowering Individuals
• What do we mean by Empower?
• To give service users control of their own lives.
• How can we empower individuals?
• Adapting activities and environments in order to
promote involvement in daily life and meet their
physical, intellectual, emotional and social
needs

5. Adapting activities and environments
• Activities can include leisure pursuits, such as a
game of skittles or a quiz, or everyday tasks,
such as feeding or dressing.
• How can we adapt environments. Discuss with
partner and make a list

6. We could do this by?:
• Providing ramps and lifts for wheelchair access
• Widening doorways for wheelchair access
• Raising or lowering the height of
tables/desks/sinks and toilet facilities
• Double stair rails
• Bright lines on the edge of steps and stairs
• Furniture in bright colours
• Fitting of induction loops (what are these –
remember unit 3)

7. Taking account of the individual
• Recognising an individual’s rights is a legal
requirement in the UK and in many other
countries.
• Individuals have a right to health and social care
support if they need it, which should be
underpinned by the values (what are they?)
• Health and social care professionals agree with
these values and work hard to deliver
appropriate care and support, meeting the needs
of individuals.

8. Preferences
• Individuals may wish to have their own
preferences met.
• For example, in a busy care setting the service
user may prefer to have breakfast after hanging
the washing out on the line, but the care worker
may find it more convenient to serve breakfast
first.
• It is important to remember that the care worker
is there to support the individual and not the
other way around

9. Activity
• In small groups, discuss how important it is to
each of you to have your likes and dislikes
considered:
• At mealtimes
• In deciding which film to see
• When being bought new clothes by a relative
• In choosing what music is played
• Discuss why these things are important to you

10. Discuss
• How does it make you feel when someone makes
decisions for you?
• Now think about some of the situations service
users might find themselves in
• How would the service user feel?

11. Adapting activities
• This could mean:
• Adapting cutlery
• Adapted scissors and craft materials
• Textured materials
• Reading materials suitable for individuals with
learning disabilities
• Reading materials in large print; Braille
• Audio books

12. Reasons for adapting environments and
activities
• Promoting independence in individuals
• Promoting self-esteem and a sense of
achievement
• Involvement of individuals in everyday life
• Reduction of marginalisation in individuals with
disabilities
• Promotion of a holistic approach to care and
support
• Promotion of overall wellbeing of individuals
• Promotion of interests and abilities

13. Watch the clip
• Make notes on how the individuals have their
choices and preferences met on page ?? Of your
workbook
• How do we empower the individuals in this clip?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrImwgBF
MYE&feature=player_embedded

14. Recap