Creating a Care Plan for Your Senior Loved One

When hiring a home health else for your senior loved one it is important that you are on the same page about their plan of care. This can range from when they should have their meals to how often they should get outdoors. That is why, it is essential that you have a written-out care plan for your home health aide to follow when caring for your loved one.

What Is a Plan of Care?

A formal plan of care is a document that will list both your loved ones physical and metal health needs. This will also include instructions on how to best handle those issues and a schedule of each day-to-day tasks that need to be completed. If your home health aide is hired through an agency, then the agency will provide this plan of care for you. However, if your home health aide is a private provider you will need to create this document yourself.

What To Include in the Plan of Care

The first thing to include in your loved one’s plan of care should be their medical information. This should include details about their medications, physical therapy, doctors’ appointments, a list of any allergies they may have, and all the contact information for their doctors. The second thing you need to include are daily care needs. This is if your loved one needs help with eating, dressing, bathing, using the bathroom and other grooming care.

After establishing your loved one’s care needs you will want to include any chores that you want your home health aide to complete such as driving to appointments, grocery shopping, basic cooking and cleaning, etc. Furthermore, to keep on the same page it can be helpful to have a weekly schedule if any events are coming up that your home health aide will need to keep in mind of.

Care Plan Revisions

Over time your loved one’s care needs may change. As a result, you will need to revise their plan of care. You want to discuss this with your home health aide prior to drafting a new plan. This can help you both works together on what changes need to be made. Your home health aide may notice changes in certain areas that you do not.