• Acting or doing for the resident or patient
• Teaching the resident or patient
• Guiding the resident or patient
• Supporting the resident or patient
• Providing an environment in which the resident or patient can develop or grow.

To use these methods the Care Assistant must respond to the patients’ requests, desires and needs.

Provide such care, information or assistance using the checklist provided in the ‘Activity for living’ model.

It is obvious, the competent Care Assistant needs knowledge about the residents or patients and each self-care requisite; knowledge and skills related to identifying self-care deficits; and confident ability to work under the supervision of the nurse.

During this course we will work towards identifying the different aspects of Activity for Living model. We will use this model to assess the individual’s self-care needs and identify if there are any self-care deficits. This is a challenge to the Care Assistant as she or he works alongside the nurse who will make the assessment using the Activity for Living Model. Once the Assessment has been made of the resident or patient the nurse plans the Care Plan for that individual to eliminate the deficits, which have shown up on the Assessment. The example from the Activity for Living Model might be ‘incontinence’ which, remember is included in the 12 Activities, Eliminating. This self-care deficit is assessed and a care plan is made by the nurse, which states “This patient must be taken to the bathroom after meals”. “This patient must be wakened early in the night to take to the toilet”. The Care Assistant in discussion with the nurse will see that the care plan is carried out. The point being that the Care Assistant working as a team member is now directly caring for the resident or patient adhering to a set Care Plan. This course includes many workshops, which will allow discussion, lectures but all the data is contained in the twelve activities. During the course we will cover each in detail using examples where possible and practicals where we will be comfortable in demonstrating mobility, e.g. transferring patient from chair to chair, assisting with meals, etc.

Although the Workshop on Activity for Living describes in detail the 12 activities the following is printed here for the trainee care assistant to revise and learn and use in this Course for discussion giving examples where necessary.

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