If you have an aging relative — regardless of how healthy they are now — it’s time to prepare for their future care needs. Consider this: A 65-year-old today has almost a 70% chance of eventually needing long-term care(Opens in a new window).
This senior care planning guide covers essential aspects such as housing, medical care, financial planning and legal considerations, providing you with strategies to make informed choices, avoid last-minute chaos and ensure your loved one receives the respect and care they deserve.
What is a Senior Care Plan?
A senior care plan is a uniquely personalized way to organize the details of an older loved one’s daily needs, medical care, emergency contacts and caregiver tasks. A senior care plan should remain flexible, as their medical and health care needs will change and evolve as they age. Compiling and organizing all of this information in one location ensures that your senior family member will receive consistent. personalized care.
What are the Benefits of a Senior Care Plan?
There are numerous benefits to creating a senior care plan – not just for your loved one, but for your family and your senior’s broader care team. A senior care plan ensures consistent, personalized care based on the unique evolution of their health care needs. Taking a proactive approach to care also allows for clearer, more efficient communication between family members and caregivers to ensure your loved one receives the care they need. One of the most valuable benefits of creating a senior senior care plan is that you have a clear set of instructions to follow that eliminate the stress of guesswork or wondering what happens next. Overall, it allows you and your loved one to have a holistic plan in place for care as they age.
When Should a Senior Care Plan be Created?
Everyone’s health care journey is unique. However, the earlier you begin organizing a senior care plan, the more prepared you’ll be to create a smoother transition when increased levels of care become necessary for your loved one. We routinely recommend that families start developing a plan early, typically at the first signs of aging or changes in health. Planning ahead can help you and your loved one have an honest discussion about their wants, needs and what they are comfortable with as they age. Having a plan in place can help you both navigate a more seamless care transition and prepare for future needs before they become urgent.
Types of Elder Care Services
There are various levels and types of elder care, but most fall into one of three categories:
- Nursing home care
- Assisted living
- In-home care
Nursing homes provide 24-hour nursing supervision and assistance with daily activities. This differs slightly from a skilled nursing facility, which provides constant medical care and rehabilitation services. However, nursing homes can be costly, offer little privacy and feel clinical.
In an assisted living facility, your loved one may have their own living space and access to assistance and communal activities. This option balances independence and care but can still feel less impersonal than your home. It’s often more expensive than home care.
Home care allows the person to age in place in their own home or the home of a loved one. A family member or professional caregiver provides the care. Home care allows older adults to safely age in place because they are in a comfortable environment with access to companion care and skilled nursing services. Benefits include more personalized care and a reduced risk of health-care-associated infections(Opens in a new window).
Financial Considerations for Senior Care
Figuring out the future cost of elder care can be tricky. The AARP has a long-term care cost calculator(Opens in a new window) that can help you estimate costs in your area.
Once you have a general cost in mind, you should review how it stacks up with your loved one’s resources.
- Long-term care insurance needs to be purchased before major health issues arise. Most people buy it in their mid-50s or mid-60s.
- Work with a financial planner to review investments and retirement accounts
- Medicaid can help pay for long-term care for those with limited resources.
The National Council on Aging provides strategies for helping elderly relatives with budgeting(Opens in a new window), and its BenefitsCheckUp(Opens in a new window) can help you identify financial assistance programs. Understanding your options and planning ahead will help make sure your loved one receives the care they need – when they need it. Keep in mind that programs like Medicaid can change state to state, veterans’ benefits vary and private pay insurance terms can also change at any time. Make sure to research your options thoroughly based on your family’s unique situation.
Elder Care Legal and Ethical Issues to Consider
Properly addressing legal and ethical issues beforehand can protect your loved one’s rights and help ensure their wishes will be respected. Starting these honest discussions can be difficult, but one way to initiate a conversation is to mention someone you know who was either considerably prepared - or unprepared - and how that played out for them and their family. In the event your loved one requires home care, you’ll be prepared to find a provider who aligns with their medical, practical and/or emotional needs.
When planning ahead for senior care, be aware of the issues that can arise from outdated documents and paperwork or a lack of communication. From living wills to insurance policies, ensuring that your loved one’s documents are in order and their wishes are clear will help you design and implement an effective senior care plan.
Legal Documents Related to Elder Care
Legal documents (such as wills, living trusts, power of attorney and advance directives) provide clarity and guidance on managing your loved one’s affairs when they are no longer able to do so.
- Wills and trusts spell out the distribution of an individual’s assets after their death. Trusts offer a more flexible way to manage assets and are especially useful if your loved one becomes incapacitated.
- A durable power of attorney lets your loved one appoint a person to manage their affairs if they are unable to do so. You’ll likely need one for health care and one for finances.
- Advance directives outline health care preferences, especially in situations where the elder may be unable to communicate their wishes. Advance directives typically include a living will.
- HIPAA release forms allow designated individuals to access the elder’s medical records.
Consulting a lawyer ensures these documents are properly drafted.
The National Institute on Aging (Opens in a new window)offers a detailed checklist to help you gather all the important documents you need. Once you’ve done that, consider putting it all in a folder or binder for easy organizing and reference.
Ethical Considerations in Elder Care
Elder care ethics focus on maintaining dignity and respect for seniors, including preserving autonomy and preventing harm.
The right to self-determination doesn’t diminish with age or illness. It’s crucial to respect your loved one’s choices, even when they differ from yours. Autonomy in seniors is associated with improved mental (and physical) health and enhanced well-being(Opens in a new window).
To ensure that (regardless of whether at a facility or in-home care):
- Work with your loved one and the facility (or home care professional) to develop a care plan that reflects their preferences and values. Update it regularly to keep it relevant.
- Encourage your loved one to actively participate in decisions about their care.
Social and Emotional Considerations
Medical needs, legal documents and paperwork aren’t the only factors to consider when creating a senior care plan. Social and emotional factors are equally important in designing a plan that will help your loved one get the care they need while continuing to lead a joyful life. Maintaining social connections with family, friends and spiritual communities, as well as continuing activities they enjoy will help them maintain their mental well-being.Staying connected via technology can also help seniors and family caregivers keep in touch through everyday interactions with long-distance family members or in the event of an emergency.
Additionally, being aware of any mental health care they currently need or may need in the future is helpful to address early on in planning to ensure they have access to the resources they need.
Preventing Elder Abuse
Elder abuse includes physical, emotional, financial scams and sexual abuse. Neglect also constitutes abuse. If your loved one is in assisted living, a nursing home or is being cared for by a professional caregiver, be vigilant.
- Recognize the signs of abuse and neglect, including unexplained injuries, changes in behavior, withdrawal and poor hygiene.
- Conduct unannounced visits and check for any signs of mistreatment.
- Install a video camera, with your loved one’s consent. You can use a nanny cam at home. However, putting up a camera in an outside facility is legal in only a few states(Opens in a new window), so check with a lawyer first.
The National Center on Elder Abuse offers an array of resources on identifying and reporting elder abuse(Opens in a new window).
Home Caregiving Options
If you and your loved one decide that aging in place is the best option, you’ll need to consider whether their care will be handled by a family caregiver, a professional caregiver – or a combination of both.
If you choose to bring in professional caregivers, research whether they have the proper credentials to provide in-home medical care, if needed. Look for caregivers with professional certifications such as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) for skilled nursing care or a home health aide (HHA) to make sure they’re equipped to offer your loved one care that corresponds to their needs.
When choosing a home care provider, ask questions about how staff are vetted, hired and trained to gain insight into the quality of care the organization provides. If family caregivers will be your loved one’s main source of care, caregiving technologies like emergency alerts, medication reminders and other apps may be a helpful resource in managing their care. If you and your loved one decide on a hybrid approach that incorporates both family and professional caregivers, that can involve part-time care on a regularly scheduled basis, or occasional respite care to give family caregivers a periodic break to rest and recharge.
Family Caregivers
Family members are likely to have a deep bond with their elderly loved ones and can provide more personalized care. Using family caregivers is also much less costly.
However, they may lack the training or skills to handle complex medical needs. Moreover, caring for an elderly loved one can be physically and emotionally demanding. The resulting burnout can harm their physical and mental health and decrease their effectiveness as caregivers and strain relationships.
Professional Caregivers
Depending on their certifications and licensing, professional caregivers can manage many medical and non-medical needs, including specialized services such as physical therapy.
They’re able to provide consistent and reliable care without other distractions, removing much of the burden from family members.
However, professional caregiving services can be expensive. However, you can explore strategies for paying for senior home care, such as tapping Medicare, long-term care coverage and other potential benefits and programs. It is important to have an emotional connection to ensure a client’s trust and safety. Be sure to research services to create the best possible environment for your loved one.
So, how do you find a qualified, compatible and trustworthy professional caregiver? Here are some steps to help you get started:
- Decide whether to go through an agency or do direct hire. There are pros and cons to each.
- Research agencies and read reviews. Reputable home care agencies ensure that their staff meets all necessary regulations and training requirements.
- Tap into resources such as the National Association of Home Care and Hospice’s online database(Opens in a new window) or Medicare’s home health care tool(Opens in a new window).
Taking the Next Step: How to Create a Personalized Senior Care Plan
Now is the time to craft a thoughtful elder care plan that addresses all aspects of your loved one’s future, including housing, finances, medical needs and legal considerations.
Gathering the right documents and having proactive discussions to make important decisions today will ensure your loved one receives the best possible care tomorrow. Planning for home care includes everything from conducting an initial assessment to identify your loved one’s needs to setting out goals, routines, considerations around transitional care (if applicable) and a regular review of your care plan to evaluate changing needs.
Conduct an Initial Assessment & Identify Needs
First, identify your loved one’s needs to determine what should be included in their care plan. A full and comprehensive evaluation of your family member’s medical, therapeutic, mental and social needs will help inform a thorough care plan. This initial assessment should also include discussions around what care they may need presently, as well as what short-term or long-term care they may need in the future.
Learn about the different types of services that could benefit your loved one. These include full or part-time home care, skilled nursing, personal care, transitional, respite, palliative or hospice care. Your care plan should thoughtfully consider any changing needs your senior may experience over time to help create a less stressful transition to a specific type of care later on.
Create a Care Team
Building the right care team is an important part of developing a senior care plan. Consider who will be a part of their care team now, and any additional members you’ll need to add in the future. You’ll need to think about what responsibilities each member of your loved ones care team will handle.
Your loved one’s care team will consist of medical professionals, therapists, professional caregivers and – of course – family members. A holistic care team is not only important for consistent and thoughtful care for your loved one, but also helps family members avoid caregiver burnout.
At this stage, when working with both family caregivers and professional caregivers, it’s important that your care plan includes details such as emergency contacts and who will serve as backup in case someone can’t be reached.
Set Goals
Goal setting helps create benchmarks and expectations for both your family member and their care team. Goals will be unique to each situation, but may include achievements such as gaining strength, improving mobility or accomplishing specific tasks. Some situations, such as post-surgical care, may include more maintenance goals like pain management, depression reduction and overall comfort. Remember to set short-term and long-term goals to indicate progress at various stages. Allow for flexibility as unpredictable changes are always a possibility.
Develop Caregiver Tasks & Daily Routines
Your loved one’s day-to-day care should also be addressed within their senior care plan. Identify and assign key tasks and responsibilities around who will help with personal care, meals, medication, transportation to appointments, as well as communication with doctors and therapists. Beyond tending to your loved one’s care schedule, determine who is there to provide them with social and emotional engagement.
Planning who is responsible for assisting your loved one with various parts of their daily routine helps reduce conflict, missed appointments or medications, and also can help prevent rehospitalization.
Prepare for a Potential Transition Between Care Stages
Change is inevitable, and preparing for changes in your family member’s healthcare needs will ensure a smoother transition if and when it happens. Whether your loved one is preparing for a trip to the hospital or home from a major medical event, they develop an illness or disease, or their condition worsens, creating steps for transitional care will help you and your loved one’s care team navigate those changes.
Planning for transitional care includes hospital discharge plans, follow-up appointments, medication management, and more. Consider if your loved one will need short-term transitional care during a brief recovery period, such as after returning home from the hospital for a minor surgery, or if they may need longer-term care.
Regularly Review the Senior Care Plan
A care plan is only effective if it continues to meet the needs of your senior family member. Needs and circumstances will change, so regularly reviewing their plan helps create opportunities to update and modify it depending on your loved one’s health. We recommend reviewing it on a regular basis before major changes need to be made.
BrightStar Care® Can Help
BrightStar Care provides many services, including assistance with elder care planning. Whether you're looking for in-home care services or assisted living for your loved one or a reliable medical staffing partner for your organization, our experienced local care team members are ready to help. Find a location near you, contact us online or call (866) 618-7827 to learn more about how BrightStar Care offers A Higher Standard®.