Clients with sensory impairment?

[tonilee]

Just wondering does anyone have clients with Sensory Impairment and/or Additional needs??

If you do how do you manage this client, for example how do you explain a procedure to a deaf client? Or if a client is visually impaired, how do you handle a results driven procedure, for example Spray Tans or make up? If the Client cant physically SEE the results how do you deal with that?

This cropped up in a conversation with my gf the other night and so got me thinking

xx

 

[lauraj]

I work with people who have a sensory impairment as my other job we do a lot of nail art and hand massage or foot spa with the people we work with. Everyone is different but if they have got additional needs you have to question which treatments you are doing and why they are doing them. Giving the person choice to decide what they want where possible.

Even if the client can't see the result they may have been sighted before and therefore can choose colour etc as they know what it is like. You do the treatment as normal but discribe exactly what you are about to do before you do it. For deaf clients they may be able to lip read or sign in which case you would use that along with showing them things as you did the treatment.

Another thing to concider is if they have additional needs are the tactile defensive because if so you may need to build up to the full treatment or miss some bits out or change pressure etc.

Do you have sensory impaired client?

 

[Tomme]

I have 2 deaf clients for hair, I don't really do much different other than only speak when looking at them face on (not in the mirror).
I don't know sign language, and don't really want to learn it and there's no problem with how I communicate with clients.
There was a client while I was training who may as well have been blind when it came to her hair. She had a fear of mirrors so we had to cover them. She would feel how it was to find if she was happy with the style, as for the colour we would cut her a strand to see. I guess it would be te same for a blind client other than the strand for colour. Xoxo

 

[lauraj]

I wasn't saying you had to learn to sign just that it is something you could concider. I meant more if you had several deaf clients or went into a day centre or something.

 

[Verve Designs]

I'm partially deaf, and getting my haircut (oh those were the days- but that's a different story) was a nightmare as I couldn't hear a damn thing if the stylist was behind me. They must have assumed I was a real ignorant bugger.

I'd just say show some patience, and don't be afraid to ask questions as there are different degrees of impairment which people deal with differently.

 

[tonilee]

I have a few sensory impaired clients well to be fair they were friends before they were clients
I am able to sign up to level 2 so am generally ok with hearing impaired clients but with visually impaired I find it really difficult as I struggle to put myself in their position and imagine what it must be like therefore how does a treatment feel to them etc

Was just wondering how other therapists coped x