How Do You Stay Involved in Your Loved One’s Care at a Nursing Home: The Nursing Home Care Plan

You’ve made the decision to place your loved one in a nursing home. You want to stay involved in their day-to-day care both in knowing what their care will consist of and also to make certain requests. How do you go about doing that?  Initially, you will want to focus and participate in the creation of the care plan.

The nursing home staff will prepare a care plan at the outset of the residency. This should be based upon information in medical records, a health assessment and health information you can provide.  For example, if you know that your mother or father sleeping needs require an elevated or inclined bed, you should make sure that it is included in the care plan.

You should always revisit and modify the care plan regularly depending on changes in health conditions, shortcomings in the previous plan and any complaints which were communicated to you by your loved one. Nursing homes are required to submit this information to the federal government. This information is used for quality measures, nursing home payment, and state inspections.

Here are some other items you may want to address:

1. Personal or health care services, such as non-prescription medication;
2. Walking and ambulatory aids e.g. walkers, wheelchairs
3. Food preferences and prohibitions
4. Medical appointments away from the home e.g. dialysis center

 The objective is to be present and share your loved one’s personal preferences and with staff members at every opportunity. And then you should follow up to make sure that those items are being abided by.

If based upon your observations, the care plan falls short of being adequate to support and care for your loved one, you should always raise those concerns to the administrator. If you notice a change in your relative’s health including a decline, the general appearance is not tidy or clean, or medications are not being timely administered then memorialize them in writing and relay that to administrators.

There are many more ways to stay involved in your loved one’s care after bringing them to a nursing home. For more helpful tips, please contact Kevin T. Yen or any of the attorneys at Strom & Associates, Ltd. at (312) 609-0400 or by email at kevinyen@stromlawyers.com