Coordinating care with your home health care provider is one of the keys to improving your loved one’s outcome. Bringing a stranger into the home can feel overwhelming and challenging. At the same time, it may be a relief to be able to share the care for your elderly parent or loved one with someone who is trained to be there. Coordinating this care is a key strategy for improving effectiveness, safety, and efficiency in your home. The idea might be simple, but the implementation may be challenging.
Without coordination of care, a shift may go
unstaffed, the parent may not get to a doctor's appointment or medication may
not be filled. Each of these factors are important to the overall health and
well-being of your family. There are some strategies that make this process
smoother and easier and the transitions between days and weeks less
challenging.
Google
Docs — Google has a calendar which can be shared
across many accounts. This way, there is one place where family members can
record when they're visiting, when medication needs to be refilled and when
in-home care providers will be at the house. The downside is it requires one
point person to ensure all the spots are filled and all the work is being done.
Unfortunately, when shifts are open, it may fall to the point person to fill
it.
Consistent Schedule — A second option is to assign consistent days when individuals from the family will visit their loved one and if they're unable to make it, they are responsible for finding someone to cover for them. The shift covered by in-home health care will always be consistent and a family member will be identified with whom the home care agency coordinates care. However, this does not allow for recording when transportation for physician appointments is required, or when medication must be refilled.
Smartphone Apps — There are a variety of apps with a host of options to help maintain and update important information, send medication reminders and even keep a log of activities. The apps can help you stay in touch with other caregivers and family members and pass on updates without calling.
- CaringBridge focuses on a place to record
encouragement and photos and share pertinent information and medical updates.
It's available free on the iPhone.
- Caring Village is designed specifically for
family caregivers to coordinate care. The founder launched the app after he and
his wife became caregivers for his mother-in-law. It offers a secure messaging
system, the ability to customize care plans and a centralized calendar and
document storage. It's available free on the iPhone and Android.
- Carezone offers the ability to keep pertinent
information in one place and invite family and friends to participate. It has a
place for a task list, medication logging and even a place to upload photos.
It's available free for the iPhone and Android.
- eCare21 is a smartphone monitoring app that connects to wearable devices and allows you to check glucose, heart rate, activity, and sleep. It uses the latest technology without being intrusive but is only available on the iPhone.
Work With Us!
At Harmony, we are focused on providing the best care possible to you and your family. Contact us today so we can get started helping to care for your loved one, so you may spend more time enjoying their company.
