Background: Many learning-disabled people do not communicate verbally. Support Workers (supporters) use touch in their care role. To date, there is little research exploring how supporters intentially use everyday touch as a means of communicating and connecting with people who do not express verbally. This study sought to understand the kinds of touch used in daily care; supporters' awareness of the potential to communicate and connect through touch and whether they considered this a medium to demonstrate compassion.
Method: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted (recorded and transcribed) with 16 volunteer supporters from residential and day-care services. Data was analysed using inductive thematic analysis.
Results: Themes generated:
- uses of touch
- communication through touch
- relationship building through touch
- organisational support
Touch is complex and multidimensional. The relationship between care receivers and supporters exists in the context of the “constant” touch required. Touch is essential in intimate care. Interviews afforded supporters a unique opportunity to reflect upon their touch, realising their potential to communicate through touch with “intellectual kindness”, thus impacting positively on the care relationship. None of the care organisations involved held explicit policies or specific training on touch. Supporters received little support in their use of touch and its complex communicative function.
Conclusion: Further research is required to fully understand the significance of touch, particularly interactive touch, in the lives of learning-disabled people when communication is otherwise difficult. National guidance and training will enable supporters and care receivers to confidently use touch as a reciprocal communicating medium and sense of connection.
| Subject : | : | Poster only |
| Comment | : | Lorraine Horton has over 20 years' experience in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) of developing and specialising the provision of interactive touch conversations with learning-disabled people, whose behaviour may be of concern and who may not communicate verbally. Touch is used specifically to explore and invite mutual and reciprocal interaction and conversation. This experience led her to identify with the concept of lifeworld-led support for learning-disabled people through the medium of touch. Her training provision enables supporters to develop a touch connection. The opportunity to carry out this research is ultimately about improving the quality of the care relationship between care receiver and care giver and therefore improving overall quality of life for those who have little choice but to receive touch in their care. It is also about the need to influence national training guidelines for health and care workers. There is very little research exploring the touch communication needs and wants of learning-disabled people. Yet many experience high levels of touch on a daily basis which affords the potential to invite reciprocal touch conversation and connection, that communicates "I value you". The disenfranchised position of learning-disabled people in society is well-documented. It is important that touch research does not replicate this, given that touch could be a prime means of communication. Rachel Shaw is a health psychologist with around 20 years' experience of qualitative research in applied healthcare settings. This work has involved patients, their families and a range of healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, midwives, and paid carers in primary, secondary and residential care settings. Phenomenology has provided the conceptual framework for this research which has used exploratory, in-depth qualitative methods to make sense of the phenomenon of care. |
| Keywords | : | Touch ; interactive touch ; communication ; non ; verbal communication ; compassion ; learning disability ; care ; support workers ; carers |
| PDF version | : |  PDF version |
