Creating a Plan of Care

There may be many additional tasks that are not covered in your loved one's hospital discharge plan. How will care be provided for those activities that are not covered in the discharge instructions?

April 20, 2012

When a loved one is coming home from the hospital, it is important to have a good plan of care in place to help ensure a smooth transition home and to minimize stress for both the family caregiver and his or her loved one. You may even want to download this care plan worksheet (PDF 258k) to help you prepare.

There may be many additional tasks that are not covered in your loved one's hospital discharge plan. How will care be provided for those activities that are not covered in the discharge instructions? Will someone need to be at home with your loved one throughout the day or just at specific times during the day?

Outlined below are four key activity areas that may require family caregivers to assume more responsibility, time and effort than normal day-to-day activities. Many of these activities may also require assistance from trained professionals, including home health care aides. You should ask your senior loved one's medical professionals which ones will likely need to be addressed and also work with your senior to make sure all important paperwork is in order.

• Health Care Tasks
• Change dressings
• Monitor vital signs
• Operate or adjust medical equipment
• Assist with personal hygiene
• Arrange for follow-up care
• Maintain a schedule of health care visits and appointments

• Medication Management
• Order and pick up prescriptions and refills
• Understand all medication labels, instructions and expiration dates
• Administer the correct medication at the right time
• Monitor for side effects
• Store medications properly and safely
• Maintain medication schedule
• Dispose of medications
• Use a medication tracking worksheet (PDF 600k) to record all medications

• Household Management
• Conduct safety checks
• Prepare special meals such as liquid-only diets
• Take additional shopping trips for special foods and supplies
• Greet and supervise visiting health care and home care professionals
• Arrange for deliveries of medical supplies and equipment

• Family Communications
• Prepare and maintain emergency and medical contact lists (PDF 725k)
• Communicate frequently with family members
• Pay medical and other bills
• Provide instructions and training to other family members and friends
• Assemble and store important documents like those listed below in a senior emergency kit:
• Advance Directive
• Living Will/Standard Will
• Health Care/Financial Power of Attorney
• Insurance and Financial Documents

If you are considering hiring help from an in-home senior care agency for your loved one, be sure to discuss the above considerations with them as well. They'll be able to assist in making sure your loved one's care plan is complete and appropriately carried out. The more information family caregivers can obtain on the current health care needs of their senior loved one, the easier it will be for them to develop, communicate and share a plan of care. There are many different caregiver situations that might arise, so having a plan of care will go a long way to help ensure that family members are well prepared for any situation.

Download the Canadian Edition of the Returning Home: Transitional Care Guide

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