Establishing a Care Plan for Your Loved One

As you may have realized from other information on this website, you should create a care plan for your loved one. Whether your loved one is living in a nursing home or working with a home health aide, it is a good idea to have a plan in place. This will make sure that your loved one receives proper care. So, if you have just hired a home health aide or your loved one is moving into a nursing home, here are some tips on creating a good care plan for your loved one.

A good nursing home will work with you in order to fill out a care plan worksheet for your loved one. Whether the home approaches you about a care plan or not, you should take initiative to make sure that one is established. There are a few major areas that should be considered in a care plan.

Health Needs and Management

The first major area that you should discuss when creating your loved one’s care plan involves your loved one’s health needs and management. This is a fairly obvious concern and it should definitely be addressed in a care plan. This section should outline details related to:

• Taking care of your loved one in the home.
• Assistance with your loved one’s personal hygiene.
• Bedsore prevention plans.
• Changing of dressings for wounds and injuries.
• Checking vital signs.
• Taking care of medical equipment that your loved one uses.
• Finding help if your loved one develops a new condition or if an existing conditions worsens.
• Scheduling appointments for health care.
• Providing physical therapy to keep your loved one healthy or to help them recover from an injury.

Medication Management

Another common section outlined on a care plan consists of medication management. Most elderly people are on medication for various conditions. It is up to a caretaker to remind your loved one to take this medication and to help administer the medication. Tasks to discuss in this section are:

• Ordering and receiving medication for your loved one.
• Understanding how to administer the medication.
• Using the right medication at the right time.
• Monitoring your loved one to make sure they don’t experience side effects of the medication.
• Establishing and maintain a schedule for the medication.
• Making sure that medication is stored and disposed of properly.
• Recording medication intake.

Household Management

In addition to medical attention, caretakers should provide assistance with other areas of your loved one’s life. Also consider the following tasks for consideration in a care plan related to household management.

• Making sure that the facilities are safe for your loved one.
• Making sure that your loved one has access to appropriate food.
• Keeping the facilities clean.
• Assistance with eating and cleaning.

Emergency Information

Finally, a good care plan should have information about you and your family. In case of an emergency, it is important for a nursing home or an aide to know how to get in touch with you. Make sure that you include information on the care plan about:

• Emergency contact information.
• Medical contact information.
• Family medical history information.
• Information about how medical bills and other bills will be paid.

These are important elements of a care plan. Making sure that a home creates a good care plan for your loved one can improve their chances of being treated well.