When we care for people in any way, we typically share that care with others. I'm thinking about this today as I collaborate with others to care for many people. What does this collaboration include? How does this collaboration work best?
In every care situation, the collaboration will be a bit different dependent on the care time, needs, and resources. For example, as a tutor, I work with a team to care for students. My interface with the team is minimal since my care responsibilities are relatively narrow and highly specific. There's a good interface routine in place that helps those on the team and me with regard to my studentsl. On the other hand, as my husband and I cared for and continue to care for our children, we clearly had to collaborate a lot since the care quotient, particularly when our children were young, was great.
So as I think about collaborative care, I think the following elements are critical:
- Respectful communication: polite, well-intentioned, concise, clear communication is critical. Since, I'm wordy, I have to work at being more concise, and I'm emotional too so I have to check my level of respect and politeness all the time as I'm apt to flare at times.
- Regular communication: When too much time goes by without a team of caregivers meeting and/or speaking, collaborative care is hindered. It's good to find the right routine for regular communication so all members of the care team know what's going on and can help each other as issues arise.
- Play to your strengths: In care situations, it's important for team members to play to their strengths. It's also important to recognize each other's strengths. For example, on one care team I'm on, there is a member who has terrific patience. I look to that member as a model of how to be patient. She offers great strength in that regard to the entire team.
- Divide and conquer: It's best in care situations if people look at the big goals and divide up the jobs in order to provide care in doable, positive ways.
- Accept disagreement: In collaborative care situations, disagreements will exist. With regard to those disagreements, you have to prioritize. When disagreements negatively and seriously impact care, then those disagreements need to be addressed, but if the disagreements don't impact the care in any great way, then it's often best to simply accept the differences of opinion and focus on the priorities instead.
- Celebrate successes: It's important for any care team to acknowledge and celebrate their successes. Celebration is energizing and positive.
- Acknowledge each other's contribution: Make time regularly to acknowledge the contributions of all members of the care team.
- Set goals: I believe that care teams profit from setting goals that everyone on the team agrees with and works together to achieve.
