How to Determine Elderly Care

Determining the care an elderly person needs can be complex. The family support system can be a pivotal factor in the availability of resources to the individual. If the family is supportive and lives nearby, and is willing to be a part of the care plan, the individual will have more resources and perhaps a better quality of life. To address the need of services for a person who is elderly you will need to be aware of their family support system, current living arrangement, any expected life changes that may be planned, and their economic resources. 1 Conduct an assessment of the individual in their current living arrangement. During the assessment note any concerns about the person's daily routine. You will not note lifestyle preferences as concerns. In other words, if a person's house is cluttered, you must determine if the clutter is due to a lack of ability to clean or if it is due to a preference to have things in this manner. If you determine it is their preference you do not note this as a deficit. If you determine that the tasks are avoided due to a limitation, note this in your assessment.2 Ask questions of the individual you are determining care for, and also of family members. The patient will provide you with the needs most important to her. Ask about recreational activities. Consider ways to help encourage activities through the use of assistive devices, public transportation or family involvement. Find out if the person has any cultural or religious preferences that need to be considered when developing a care plan.Review the outcomes of your assessment, observations and patient/family questions. Educate the patient about assistive technology devices that can help her perform any daily living tasks more easily. Some assistive devices include adapted bathroom equipment to aid in toileting needs, communication boards, modified telephones and modified kitchen tools. Tell the patient about funding sources for each item. Possible funding sources are Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, local civic groups, church groups, and family funding.4 Write care plans with the assistance of the patient. The patient may want another family member to help with the planning. The patient should be encouraged to write as much of the plan as possible, with you acting as the facilitator, provoking thought and offering suggestions when needed.5 Identify barriers that prevent the individual from maintaining their choice of lifestyle. Limited mobility may be one barrier. Forgetting to take medication is another. Once identified, both of these can be accommodated with assistive technology. The issue of mobility can be solved with an aid for moving around the home and town, and the medication issue can be helped with a reminder timer.Tips & WarningsAlways contact the patient in person to review and modify care plans.Never change a care plan unless the patient is fully aware of the change and how it affects her.http://www.ehow.com/how_5686556_determine-elderly-care.html