Case study 36.3

Possible answer to: How could the care home staff justify the extra time it took to implement this care plan with Marjorie?

Will it actually take more time to help Marjorie dress herself than for staff to fight to dress her? Maybe it will take a few minutes more, but that will be compensated for by the staff feeling less stressed. Also, if Marjorie starts the day well, she may well be more settled and content for the rest of the day. Person-centred care is often about working ‘smarter not harder’, with a bit of short-term extra effort leading to less work for staff in the long term.