How to Prepare a Professional Care Plan for your Elderly Loved One

What is a senior care plan?

A senior care plan offers clear long-term guidelines for your loved one's individualized treatment to ensure that they receive the care regularly. A senior care plan can be an informal arrangement between close family members and friends, giving you a deeper understanding of your loved one's needs.

A long-term care plan also includes a document that is a record of expectations, activities and obligations, a tool to mitigate risk and formulate contingency plans so that patients, family members, nurses, and other health professionals or health directives know what to do on a regular basis, and even in case of an emergency.

How to create your elderly care plan

Caregiving can gradually become a reality as a loved one ages, or as a result of an injury. A medical diagnosis or hospitalization can be a drastic shift. It's important to remember that, regardless of any medical decisions, your loved one’s treatment can change focus at any moment. This purpose needs to approach caregiving in a structured way. When everything changes, you'll have an action plan to draw on and a list of available tools ready to help address your loved one's current and evolving needs.

An eldercare program can be a planning tool, an informal or verbal agreement with a loved one, or a formal agreement to manage appropriate care payments. Plans may range from daily to-do lists to comprehensive weekly accounts of sums and care forms received. The following steps will help you build the very first daycare plan, or reassess the current caregiving routine.

What you need to include in your elderly care plan

Nutritional and physical need

A successful care plan will ensure the best possible quality of life for your loved one and that of those who care about them at the moment. It is important to remember that your loved one's needs will change even after making your care plan, and the care plan will have to change too. His or her needs aren't static, and neither will the treatment plan be. An elderly care plan starts with an in-house meeting that addresses the requirements or the advanced care wishes of the senior.

A physical health assessment will recognize physical issues that may need to be integrated into the clinical care plan— in conjunction with each senior's medical team—including measures to enhance mobility, treat vision, and deal with hearing loss. Some of the questions regarding the physical health assessment by a care professional, and the need for personal home care can include:

1. Will they be able to go around their home safely, or do they need additional support?

2. Will visual impairments warrant home improvements or treatment plans?

3. Is hearing loss stopping an elderly adult from knowing when the doorbell or telephone rings?

4. Can there be any side-effects due to their treatment?

A comprehensive physical health review by your care work provider will identify these challenges and offer solutions that will contribute smoothly within a qualified nursing care program, one that can prevent any health issue, such as a stroke, dementia, and more. 

Psychological and emotional needs

If your family member has dementia or mental or emotional related disorders, are you ready to assist them with their mental health? Patients with conditions like these may prefer a routine and an atmosphere that’s stable and set. Often, you may need to make sure they receive more advanced treatment for their conditions. A great option is to get an occupational therapist to relieve your loved one’s emotional baggage.

Older people also tend to feel anxious, helpless and frustrated by getting older and losing their freedom. Try to understand what you can do to keep allowing them to sustain ties and develop their interests. Are there still classes which they should attend? Is there something they would look forward to, such as drinking coffee with friends? Perhaps a gentle walk every day, or any other outdoor activity? Plans should be versatile and adjusted according to their needs.

Quality of life and social interaction

Socialization is an integral part of mental and emotional well-being preservation and should be a central component of an eldercare program for your loved ones. Keeping the seniors socially engaged offers a wide variety of emotional and cognitive benefits, including:

• Reducing lonely feelings

• Warding off negative feelings

• Relaxation

• Less burden and anxiety

• Supporting expression of emotions

• Fostering cognitive skills

• Strengthening and helping memory 

As time goes by, it is more difficult for many seniors to get enough socialization. Failure to drive, retirement, loss of friends and family, reduced participation in events, and physical and cognitive disabilities will cause your elderly loved ones not to engage as much as before. Seeking ways to incorporate more socialization into their care plan for the elderly improves their safety and well-being, while also making the routine more fun and enjoyable. If you and your family can’t take care of these activities, it is highly recommended you contact social workers to aid you in this journey.

Set goals for your care plan

What is lacking in your loved one’s current situation?

One of the first steps to take when creating an elder care plan is collecting information and resolving any problem(s) at hand to get an effective strategy that helps solve any issues. Review with detail a loved one’s home environment, including their activities of daily living (ADLs), medical and legal documents, health status, and financial situation, so you can ensure nothing is overlooked in case of a medical emergency or palliative care.

Some seniors may be in defense mode due to such an “invasion" into their personal affairs. Still, it is vital to get a complete overview of their current situation to develop a suitable care plan. This first step is also helpful for finding places where a loved one is still self-sufficient and willing to retain their independent living.

What goals would you like to help them reach through your care plan?

Create a list of all problems or issues, putting the highest priorities at the top. The immediate health and quality of life of your loved one is of utmost importance, and whether they lose weight or refuse to comply with their drug regimen, these issues have to be resolved first.

Even if you do not recognize any problems in their daily lives, setting targets for your loved one’s well-being is a valuable way to express your commitment to helping them succeed. For example, "I want them to be happier in their own home," "I want them to eat healthier," are all excellent care goals that can be accomplished in many ways. Do not forget to include your loved one's potential wishes while building these goals too.

You can also discuss longer-term goals such as financial planning, health insurance, social security, total premiums, advance care planning, estate planning, tax credit, and funeral planning. Such plans are vital and can be time-sensitive, depending on your loved one's current circumstance. Although these problems may be less urgent than rectifying health issues, the earlier they are dealt with, the better. Proactive planning in these areas increases the probability that a loved one will be able to maintain the lifestyle they have in mind for the future, and guarantees that their health care and end-of-life desires are honored. 

Include friends and family

A caregiver does not need to plan and execute any of these activities on their own. Embarking alone on this path can be daunting and lead to extreme physical and emotional effects for caregivers. The aim of establishing a care team is to take stock of all the resources at your disposal and foster coordination and collaboration among all those willing to engage in the care plan. Family, relatives, neighbors, volunteers, and other members of their group are the most evident candidates for assisted living and personal treatment of a loved one. It's best to bring a team of supportive individuals who can lend a hand or an ear when you need it the most.

Create a template for your plan

List all of the feasible options in your program. The goal, for instance, is to help your loved one eat healthy meals more often. To accomplish this aim, your family can take turns delivering home-made meals or organizing recreational activities. Try to recognize the strengths or abilities of each particular person and align them with workable solutions. Such individual assets may include care recipient proximity, monetary donations, and skills such as cooking, cleaning, nursing experience, and communication. Get innovative about how you match your team members and get creative with ideas about how they can contribute to your loved one's care. Thanks to this, you can help build the ideal nursing home experience. 

Find inspiration in other people’s care plans

In certain situations, unique roles for a team member may be evident. An Elder Law Attorney can handle the writing of POA (Power Of Attorney), privacy policy, and Advance Directive papers. At the same time, a Financial Planner will assist with money management techniques, savings, and goods. Getting in contact with an elder law attorney is a great option to help you with the hardest part of any program. Still, when it comes to primary organization, you can ask for help or get inspiration from other people’s daycare plans. Get inspired with other senior care plans and their strategies, and go through the process lighthearted. 

At Right At Home, we can offer you guidance and examples of how to make the perfect senior care plan. Contact us for more information and let us help you provide your loved one a healthier lifestyle.