Perception gains a special dimension during care because people must be taken care of whose perception is frequently considerably impaired by old age, disease or disability. How the relationship between the carer and the person in need of care develops largely depends on the carer’s ability to deal with his own perception and the perception of the entrusted person and to incorporate them in the care process.
Knowledge of perception processes and their influence are an indispensable basis for carers. Intensive treatment of this subject is certainly not lost time but will give care a new quality.
Observing as a planned activity
Even though perception and observation are often used synonymously, they differ from each other distinctly. Unlike perception which proceeds consciously or unconsciously, observation is a conscious and planned activity with the goal of gaining new insights and making decisions which enable adaptation of action to current situations. Observation is one of the most important nursing tasks because the insights and information gained in the process are the basis for all phases in the care process.
Subjective observation Another person is observed and evaluated from one’s own point of view. In this case it is often advisable to compare the subjective impression that one received of the observed person with the impressions of other carers to avoid false evaluations.
Objective observation Objective observation is purely factual and should take place without commingling emotions or prejudices. This is for example possible when specific observation criteria can be confirmed by measurement (thermometer, pulse watch, blood pressure monitor etc.).
Observation is an art which must be learned. Because it requires more from the carer than just the evaluation of individual characteristics. The person in need of care must be seen "holistically", which requires thorough medical nursing background knowledge to obtain a valid overall evaluation from single observations.
