Non-judgemental
To be non-judgemental means to accept the individual for who they are, seeing them as positive and capable of making their own decisions and choices. It is important that individuals are supported to plan for their future wellbeing and fulfilment so that their quality of life is improved, even if they are only in short-term care. Refer to wellbeing.
Individuals should be encouraged to express themselves and to change their mind about things when they want to. It is important to take time to talk about their needs, what they want and also what they don’t want. This is especially true for end-of-life-care where a person might not be able to voice their wishes as they could before. You will then need to use different ways of communicating. This may also involve working with an advocate who is able to express the individual’s wishes on their behalf if they are unable to communicate the information themselves. Ideally the individual will have planned ahead and expressed what they would like to happen within their care if they cannot decide for themselves anymore. This is called advance care planning (ACP) and is backed by the Mental Capacity Act 2005.