We all work best with each other if we know each other well. A helpful and quick way of getting to know someone is to ask them questions. In a healthcare setting, it’s helpful to ask questions about the patients needs and wishes but it’s also helpful to know a bit about what each patient enjoys doing.
One of the most effective resources for person centred work is a One Page Profile. One-page profiles were first used by Helen Sanderson Associates and with great success. They are based around the following questions:
- What’s important to me
- What do others admire about me?
- How can you best support me?
When the answers are shared on just one page, the ‘profile’ of the person is quick and easy to read.
There are other settings where a one-page profile can really help: education, judiciary, psychology, physiology. One-page profiles are helpful in social situations too: workplaces, family settings, places of worship. When we know how peoplpe are best supported, we can be work together constructively.
One page profiles don’t need to look starchy. In fact, here’re some from Google Images that were made to support children of different ages:
Here are some templates so you can make one about yourself or someone you know really well who’s needs would best best communicated this way:
Frances Burton
Welfare for Healthcare 