A Care plan meeting at a nursing home is really the adult version of a parent teacher conference.
Required by federal law to occur quarterly, Care Plan meetings involve department chairs and often, family members, those holding powers of attorney, are invited to take place in this brief but important HEALTH CARE STATUS UPDATE.
They occur during the work day, and for those of us caregivers that also work full time, it is difficult to make time. But I encourage you to try – ask if it can be done by conference call, or during a date and time when you are available. If you are not free, perhaps someone else will be able to attend as the family’s eyes and ears.
Often folks call our office shocked, and amazed that their loved one deteriorated so quickly in a nursing home. One day Mom looked fine, the next day she had died…
Care Plan meetings can help fill in the blanks of the small details not always noticeable, or discussed by staff:
– weight loss
– wound development
– ambulation / therapy issues
– cognitive changes / medication changes
I would recommend trying to attend if you can. If not, ask if you can attend by phone or reschedule for a time when someone is free. My hope is the more of these meetings families attend, the less likely they will need my help.