In the process of care giving you may encounter instances when the Care recipient (cr) wants to file a complaint with a third party this…

Try: In the process of care giving you may encounter instances when the Care recipient (cr) wants to file a complaint with a third party this could be another individual organization or business the cr may ask for your assistance in this process as his or her advocate knowing how to complain effectively and using the right approach will have a major impact on the outcome and disposition of the cr cr’s complaint materials and supports that you may need pen pencil and notebook written documentation of the cr’s rights if available and applicable individuals who can provide support for the cr how to help the cr file an effective complaint with a third party approach the cr with an open mind about the situation incident etc that has resulted in the need to file a complaint remain objective and do not have any preconceived notions about the situation interview the cr about the situation and make detailed notes to document the discussion find out exactly what happened and make sure you have the facts straight separate facts from opinions for example "the nurse told me to shut up" is a fact "the nurse was rude" is an opinion if the cr’s opinion will be the basis for the complaint you should document all of the facts that support that opinion review written documentation of the cr’s rights if it is available and applicable for example many senior housing communities hospitals etc have written statements of resident or client rights the statement of rights may help support the cr’s case solicit input support and assistance from the cr’s family members friends caregivers health care providers and others who may be helpful after thoroughly researching the situation you need to make a determination if the complaint is valid if the complaint is not valid you will need to calmly and gently try to reason with the cr and explain your decision if the complaint is valid you and the cr need to decide exactly who you need to complain to the effectiveness and outcome of the complaint may depend on getting to the right person organization or business some businesses and organizations have a designated departments or individuals to handle complaints this could be the customer service public relations marketing or human relations departments it also could be an individual with the title such as ombudsman in some cases the ombudsman works for an independent public agency of the state or county while getting a regulatory agency involved will likely get the business or organization organization’s attention it may also result in a poor working relationship in the future although going through official channels may work you may get better results by going directly to the department head who has oversight of area related to the complaint taking the path of least resistance to settle things may be better than making a big fuss however this is a judgment call that you and the cr will need to make before you move forward with the complaint you also need to decide on your overall approach decide who is going to file the complaint and get all of the documentation in order receipts correspondence bills etc it would probably be best to make an appointment to discuss your complaint rather than show up unannounced during the appointment you and the cr should try to remain calm and avoid show of emotions anger sadness etc be civil rather than confrontational express how the cr felt rather than criticize the other party for example saying "the cr felt unimportant because the call light was on for a long period of time" is better than saying "your senior housing community is understaffed and the employees don’t care about the residents this approach sometimes referred to as direct expression of feelings may be more effective because it is not as confrontational use good listening skills make good eye contact use appropriate body language allow the other party to speak and don’t do all of the talking acknowledge that you are hearing and understand what the other party is saying even if you don’t agree with it work together with the other party to arrive at a mutually agreeable and beneficial solution to the problem or issue make sure the solution is clear and fully understood by all interested parties maintain a list of individuals who have helped the cr solve complaints for future reference

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Categories: Communication, Emotional Psychological, Legal, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

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Keywords: Complaining griping grievance information references keywords

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

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