Beginning the Discussion
Introducing the ISEP Tool
1
Introduce yourself to the resident and build rapport
To begin the discussion, take some time to introduce yourself to the resident. Explain who you are, and what your role or job is.
Hello. My name is [name], and I am the [position] here at [facility]. How are you today?
My record shows that your name is [resident’s name]. How would you prefer or like us to address you?
If the resident is an existing resident in the aged care facility, you may have already introduced yourself, and know how they prefer to be addressed.
Hello [resident’s name]. How are you today?
Allow some time for the older person to talk about themselves, to build rapport and help them to familiarise themselves with you as the interviewer. Whilst you should use the ISEP questions to guide the discussion, it is beneficial to allow a natural flow of conversation during the interview. This will assist you to gain valuable insight into the older person’s life and their story, which can provide more context around the older person’s responses to the ISEP questions.
2
Introduce the ISEP Tool
Take some time to introduce the ISEP Tool to the resident. Explain in clear, easy to understand terms what the ISEP aims to achieve, and the types of questions that will be asked.
This conversation is to help us get to know you better in terms of your intimacy and
sexuality needs and preferences if any. Information gathered from this conversation
will allow us to work together to support your sexuality needs and preferences to the
best of our ability. The questions are about you, so there are no wrong answers. If you
are uncomfortable with any question, please let me know. Feel free to not answer that
question. Please let me know if I say something that you do not understand. I will try
my best to say it again in a way that makes sense to you. Before we begin, do you have
any questions?
3
Reassure the resident that their information will remain confidential
It is critical that the older person is assured that the information they share will remain private. The information disclosed in the interview should not be shared with anyone else, unless explicitly permitted by the older person. Reassure the resident that information will only be shared with their explicit consent, and only with people they grant permission to.
It may be helpful to audio record the discussion so that you can return to it when writing the report of your findings. However, as the topics are highly sensitive, the older person may prefer not to be recorded. Ensure that you ask the older person’s permission, and that they provide consent to be recorded
We are mindful of the personal nature of the information you are providing us. We will
not share your responses with anyone without your agreement. Will you be agreeable
to the care team accessing the collected information?
4
Explain how the interview will work
Take some time to explain to the resident how the interview will work, including the types of questions they will be asked, the types of responses for each question, and how nested questions work. Show the resident the response card that reads: “very important, somewhat important, not very important, not important at all”, and place it in front of the resident for their reference.
I am going to ask you questions about your preferences in terms of your intimacy and
sexuality needs and preferences if any. I would like to know what your preferences are
right now. Some of the questions may ask about things you feel you can no longer do
by yourself, but I would like to know if these activities would be important to you if you
could do them with assistance or find a way to do them.
I am going to ask you whether an activity is important to you or not. I would like you
to answer this question as either “Very Important, Somewhat Important, Not Very
Important, Not Important at all.” For example, if the question is “How important is it
to you to watch TV?” you decide what answer best fits how important watching TV
is to you. [Show response options to resident]: You could answer “Very Important,
Somewhat Important, Not Very Important, or Not Important at All. Do you have any
questions?
Once you have answered how important a preference is to you, I will ask you for details
about your preference.
If you are aware that the resident has a history of trauma, refer to the trauma informed care resources provided on the ‘Further Resources’ page.