When Providing Care for Someone, Why Is It Important to Avoid Making Assumptions Based on Stereotypes? How Can Individual Care Workers Guard Against Doing This?

A stereotype is an over generalised belief about a certain group or class of people. In some other words it means believing that people from or of a certain group, race or religion all have the same way thinking, behaving and have the same characteristics. This happens when certain individuals are judged before being given a chance to express themselves. An example being the present case in the U.K, where Muslims are judged as being terrorists and bad people because of the bad doing of some Muslims. Another example is some people think that when someone puts on heavy black make-up and wears black clothes the person is known as gothic.

Stereotypes lead to prejudice and discrimination. ‘Prejudices are negative attitudes or beliefs based on unfair and misleading or inaccurate stereotypes'. (K101, Unit 11, pP. 148) and discrimination is the unfair treatment of a person or people because of their beliefs, abilities group, and minority. ‘Discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes all come together when people act on the basis of their prejudices or stereotypes'. (www.adl.org.)

Assumptions can lead to stereotypes especially to the disabled, most disabled are negatively affected by assumptions caused by care workers when they try to use care services. Most carers assume a lot about the disabled just as seen in the case of Mhairi and Stuart the local social services manager. In this case there were different types of stereotypes involved, one stereotype being assumption as.‘ Stuart assumed that Mhairi being disabled, she had no sexual feelings and that since Mhairi was once married it was impossible for her to be a lesbian . Stuart's assumptions lead him to not ask more deeply about Mhairi's relationship with Gillian so he assumed that Gillian was just a house mate'. (K101, Unit 11, P.143).Another thing that leads to stereotypes in the care services is ignorance without the care-worker realising that they are being ignorant , thus this leads to stereotypes. A good example of this is in the case of Julie, Karen and Sue. ‘Sue took Julie to see Karen so as to support Julie and know more about the trip Julie was going to attend, Karen kept on asking Sue about things concerning Julie while Julie just sat there, she was not involved in their conversation and she was asked any questions by Karen which she should have been asked directly instead of Karen asking Sue. Karen ignored Julie completely' . (K101, D.V.D, Video 4.1)

Disabled people are affected by stereotypes in the care services, they are negatively affected in many ways that is emotionally , physically and socially and that may leads to somemost of them having the fear to go for help in the care –services even when they need help badly. A stereotype affects the disabled in different ways and acts as a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy, this means a person or people developing expectations about a certain individual, thus causing them to behave in a certain way towards them and in turn it causes the person to exhibit behaviour that is consistent with what was initially expected of them'. (www. psychwiki.com).

Stereotypes leads care –workers into a failure of consulting the disabled about their actual needs which leads to the help they need not being right or misleading . Stereotypes of the disabled make a disabled person feel like they are not seen as individuals , which leads to the disabled person to loose their self –esteem and this affects them emotionally. The lack of understanding of the disabled leads to some care-workers thinking that once a person is declared disabled or disabled means unable or a person with disabilities should be protected and that they are unable to use their potential that they once had before. A disabled person would feel embarrassed of sharing their sex life or explain what they really need to a care-worker if they think or feel that abit of stereotyping is going on, and this will not help the disabled patient or the care- workers as this leads to a strained relationship and again leading to lack of trust, no one would like a care-worker in their house if they cannot trust them or express what they are feeling to their care worker. There are some disabled people who have highly paid jobs and earn a good living but they are all considered dumb, stupid and incapable by others.

Care workers or care providers can avoid assumption based on stereotypes. The most effective way to deal with this is care- workers and care-providers respecting the principles of care which is very important in care services. The most important of the principles to be respected in order to avoid stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination in care-services is respecting people's beliefs and preferences and to avoid assumption in the care- services. care providers and care –workers should have the principle of supporting people in maximising their potentials