Makaton signs for hospital admission

Makaton signs for health related situations

The videos below talk you through the importance of using Makaton or other communication strategies when someone is in a healthcare environment and you want to ensure they know what is happening to them, and are able to give you their consent. They also show you how to use the signs in the documents below.

The slides and pictures below show some of the signs that you may require when interacting with a person who cannot communicate, this is not an exhaustive list, but covers some of the main signs.

Gwen is struggling to explain to you about how she is feeling, explore the signs below and practice introducing yourself to Gwen and asking her how she is feeling. As you have discovered in the last page Gwen is likely to try and please you by saying she is ok. There are many people with LD who will do this, but we know that it is a part of a person with Down Syndrome presentation, so we must take extra care to understand what is really happening with them and ensure that we are allowing them to tell us all is not ok.

Gwen is relatively settled at the moment, her vitals signs are due and you need to take a second set of bloods. Her parents have gone home to sort out their other children and will be back in a couple of hours but the blood tests are required now. How will you support Gwen through the procedure? Which signs are important in this situation?