For some Victorians, it is a hug, for others it is a catch up with friends, but for Home Care Worker Debbie Morgan, the thing she misses most during coronavirus restrictions is being able to see her clients smile.
For most people, not being able to see another person’s mask-covered face is just an inconvenience. For Debbie, it has meant having to find a new way to communicate. Debbie was born deaf. Over the years, she has mastered the art of lip reading, but now that face masks are a required safety measure for all Victorians, lip reading is not possible. Not one to let a barrier get in the way, Debbie has found ways to work around the problem.
Mercy Health Home Care Services Worker Debbie Morgan communicates with her client, Elizabeth Harvey.
“I was very upset at first when we were told we had to wear masks,” Debbie says. “Before, I would lip read and then speak with my client, but when I have a mask on, and particularly when my client does, it is much harder. When I am driving a client somewhere on a transport shift, the client has to sit in the back with their mask on and I can’t see their lips. It can be hard to know where they want me to take them. But we have managed, using technology and good old-fashioned hand signals.
“The day we don’t need masks anymore, I will be super excited.”
There is so much that our organisation has gained from having Debbie work with us.
The ever-adaptable Debbie is writing things down for her clients more often now and she even uses a phone app called Lifescribe to communicate. For the most part, though, Debbie uses her ‘big personality’ to get her messages across, according to Home Care Services Regional Manager Karlie Keck.
Home Care Services Barwon Regional Manager Karlie Keck, Home Care Services Barwon Team Leader Louise Dodd and Debbie Morgan get together for a virtual group chat.
“Debbie is an amazing communicator,” Karlie says. “She’s very animated; she uses everything to communicate — her hands, her face, her eyes. It’s amazing how easily clients can understand and connect with Debbie because of her animation. In Home Care Services, the big thing we always talk to our staff about is communication — communication with our clients and with the entire team. Debbie is a great example of how to do it and she has really taught us all to expand beyond the methods we would traditionally use to communicate.”
Debbie is a well-loved member of the Home Care Services Barwon team. While some clients are initially a bit worried about whether they will be able to understand Debbie, she soon wins them over.
Debbie Morgan sometimes uses a voice recognition phone app to help her to communicate with clients.
“Clients say she is amazing,” Karlie says. “We often have clients say, ‘Can I have Debbie back? I want her’. She radiates kindness and there are no words needed for that. Our clients feel in their hearts how much she cares for them.
“There is so much that our organisation, and our clients, have gained from having Debbie work with us.”
Last reviewed October 20, 2020.