Reflective Account Unit 3

I work in a Jewish care home on EMI dementia nursing unit for the elderly. My clients suffer from dementia. They are in different stages of that illness, from mild to severe. Some of them are in end of live care. My clients come from different backgrounds then me and where raised in a very different way to how I was raised. It is important that I will remember this and respect their beliefs, as we all have personal beliefs and preferences based on our background and upbringing. I have been brought up in a catholic society where religious education was compulsory, however we still studied various other religions and were taught to respect all people and there beliefs. Prayers were a daily thing at the end of each assembly and whether or not I wanted to pay attention to the prayer time I had to respect the people that did. Religion may affect people in many different ways, mainly because we all come from different backgrounds and are taught differently. However, it is important to respect how people honor their religion. I am an catholic, however I still make time to talk to my clients about their religion and sometimes have prayer time with them, and when possible I take the clients to synagogue. I spend my time with them on Saturdays (in Jewish culture Sabbath is a day of rest) even though my own beliefs teach me something different, I know it makes the client happy so it makes me happy to do this. I know it is something that they feel so strongly about and it is amazing at how much I really now look forward to going to synagogue with them. It is part of the job that I do and parts of showing the clients that we care about what makes them happy and that we respect their beliefs even if ours are different.
It is important to remember that my own personal preferences may be different to others and I can’t expect others to think, act and feel the same way as I do. I have to respect my client’s decision if they prefer to do something or choosing not to do something.