Home care assistance is an excellent way to enhance your relative’s quality of life while aging in place. To get the most out of the experience, however, keeping family members and caregivers on the same page is essential. Serenity Home Care is a comprehensive in-home care agency in Beaverton, Oregon. Here, we discuss ways to facilitate clear communication with an in-home caregiver.
Start Conversations Early
Before starting care, we recommend scheduling a meeting with your caregiver-to-be. Also, include anyone else who will be involved with their day-to-day care. This meeting is your opportunity to express additional concerns that might not have come up during the assessment. Be honest and straightforward to keep the caregiver adequately informed. It’s also a good chance to ask any questions you might have about the services being provided, such as:
- How flexible is the caregiver’s schedule?
- Is there a fallback plan if the caregiver cannot attend your relative as planned?
- What services is the caregiver able to provide? Where does the service stop?
- How often are care plans evaluated and updated?
- What is the procedure in case of an emergency?
- How will the caretaker inform family members of new developments?
While discussing, be sure to prioritize your relative’s thoughts and concerns. This is their care plan, and their satisfaction is the most important factor. They should drive all care-related decisions whenever possible.
Build Familiarity
Caregiver-client relationships can be awkward to start. Though agencies like Serenity Home Care select employees for their patience, kindness, and compassion, your new caregiver is still a stranger. Unfamiliar faces can be uncomfortable and even frightening, especially to seniors in memory care.
To improve familiarity, it helps to have a family member around during the first several care sessions. Take this time to break the ice, get to know one another, and lay the foundations for a positive relationship. This will help your loved one feel more comfortable expressing their wishes to a caregiver. It will also establish rapport between family and caregivers, making it easier to communicate down the road.
Set Clear Expectations
Your relative’s spouse, children, and other family may contribute to their care. Though dividing tasks can lighten the burden for everyone involved, it also allows important issues to easily slip through the cracks. You can prevent this by setting clear expectations regarding who is responsible for what aspects of care. Consider every need, including:
- Housekeeping: Determine who will take care of tasks like cleaning, laundry, and prep care.
- Nutrition: Make arrangements for groceries, food preparation, and feeding if necessary.
- Transportation: Your aging relative will need to attend appointments and social engagements. Discuss who will be available for transportation, and when.
- Medication: If there are any medications, assign someone to manage refills and set reminders.
- Companionship: Loneliness is also a concern. Your relative will need consistent social interaction from companion care or frequent family visits.
If any arrangements change – for example, if the relative responsible for laundry is taking a vacation – then make sure the entire care team is informed. Early updates will also give you time to consider extra help, like nursing services or personal care, when needs change dramatically.
Keep Written Records
There’s a lot to keep track of in elder care. Even the simplest care plans come with detailed requirements for medication doses, nutritional needs, and hourly routines. This information can also change quickly with new prescriptions or evolving needs.
The best way to manage information is with a written care plan. Create an outline of your relative’s daily and weekly care plan, including all relevant scheduling and details. You may also wish to include hints and advice, for instance, suggestions about recreation or how to get a reluctant care recipient to cooperate with bathing. Make the written plan available to everyone involved with your relative’s care, and update it frequently with any new information.
You should also keep other documents readily accessible. Prescription notes, for instance, will be essential if the caretaker needs to order an emergency refill. The caretaker may also wish to refer to a doctor’s recommendations when updating a care plan.
Choose the Right Home Care Assistance Program
Finally, coordination will be smoothest when you select an agency that values cooperation. Serenity Home Care is a family-owned home care agency with strong community connections. We extend this dynamic to our clients, believing that our service is most successful when everybody pitches in. We also have a low caregiver turnover to foster long-term relationships.
Serenity Home Care is licensed by Oregon Health Authority and compliant with Division 536 of the Oregon Administrative Rules. We deliver home care assistance to seniors throughout the state of Oregon. To learn more or get started, contact us.
