How to coordinate care between Family, personal support workers (PSWs), nurses & therapist(s) at home

 

The most successful home care comes from a well-coordinated approach between all parties. Often the Family caregiver, psw, nurse and/or therapist will attend appointments at different times.

Each of these individuals will focus on different tasks.

Poor communication among the various caregivers can quickly turn into serious problems.

This article addresses how to simply and practically coordinate care.

It will also discuss ways to ensure that the appropriate tools (such as a hospital bed price per month) are available to aid in coordinating the care and ensuring safety.

Benefits of coordinating home care

At a hospital, the nursing staff share charts, have the ability to view each other’s shift reports and follow established routines. A similar structure does not exist in homes.

Proper coordination will result in a reduction of missed treatments/activities and repetition of the same activity; reduce the likelihood of falls/injuries; potentially improve management of pain/symptoms; prevent burnout among caregivers; allow for improved recovery/comfort; and save time/hassle even for basic levels of support for your loved ones.

Identify who will do what

Firstly, identify who will perform which functions. Everyone assumes someone else will take care of everything.

Therefore, important responsibilities can easily be overlooked.

Roles of the different types of caregivers

Family caregiver

• daily decisions and scheduling visits
• Food preparation; errands and emotional support
• Tracking changes and requesting assistance

Psw (personal support worker)

• Bathing and hygiene
• Dress/groom
• Toilet/brief changes
• Movement/maintenance (gentle movements if needed)

Nurse

• Wound/care
• Injections
• Catheter care
• Medication management/vital signs monitoring
• Monitoring indications of illness/deterioration

Therapist (pt/ot/speech)

• Strength/ balance work
• Safe walking/transfers
• Home safety setup
• Oral feeding/speech therapy (as required)

It makes the entire process easier when everybody understands exactly what their role should be.

Create a simple care plan with many easy steps to follow

No binder is required. Just One care plan is sufficient. Include:

• Medication list/timing
• Allergies/health conditions
• Mobility level (walking/walker/wheelchair)
• Moving instructions (getting up from bed to chair)
• Diet details/fluid goals
• Turning schedule/skin care routine
• Emergency contacts/911: we have those RULES!

Place it somewhere visible. Families typically place an informational binder/folder on the kitchen table or google doc that can be accessed by all members of the Family.

Choose One method and stick with it!

Choose One method and use only that method:

• Notebook near the bed
• White board daily goals
• WhatsApp (other channel) quick updates
• Care app/sharing notes between professionals

Get brief status reports from providers:

• What did they do?
• What did they notice?
• What needs to be followed-up on? What should I watch out for next time?

This eliminates confusion and prevents repeatedly asking the same question.

Better bed setups that allow you to coordinate

Appropriate bed setups alleviate caregiver stress. They also enhance safety during transfer, toileting, hygiene, and therapy exercises.

Many families begin looking for a medical bed for rent to use at home once they understand that using a standard bed is too low, too soft or too hard to move in/out of.

An ideal bed for home care can:

• Raise head for breathing/food/comfort
• Elevate legs for swelling
• Safer moving in & out of bed
• Easy nursing tasks like dressing changes
• Therapy positioning exercises

Once home care begins, you could also search for a weekly hospital bed rental price if you live in the greater Toronto area. This is particularly beneficial when multiple caregivers are involved and the bed configuration must be uniform.

Documentation: questions to ask your Nurses and Therapists

To keep everyone on the same page send out information to the healthcare professionals so they document the primary Issues discussed in the communication log.

Examples:

• Pain levels — what helps
• Change in wound size/condition of skin
• Progression/decline in mobility
• Swallowing safely — notes
• New equipment recommendations
• Red flags to look for

Small documentation notes are an enormous safety net.

Creating a simplified environment for all home-care users

Create a “care station” with:

• Gloves/wipes/sanitizer
• Extra linens/briefs
• Skin cream/kits
• Wound care kits (if required)
• Charging station for devices
• Bio waste trashy? Yes — also consider keeping walkways for walkers/wheelchairs unobstructed. Eliminate loose rugs/cords.

Many families opt for affordable hospital bed rental price since they assist seniors avoid the risk of falling while providing caregivers with more opportunities to complete care activities safely at a higher level.

Deal with Issues before they get worse than they have to be.

Don’t wait until things are seriously wrong to address them. Identify potential problems early and take action before it becomes a major problem.

Early warning signs of potential problems:

• More confusion than usual
• Increased weakness/new falls
• Decreased appetite/dehydration
• New swelling/fever/cough
• Redness/soreness of the skin/new sores
• Changes to sleep/behavior more quickly

Identify the nurse as the clinical point person. The therapist should be identified as the point person for mobility and safety changes. Communicate clearly with Family regarding all updates.

weekly check-list for improved coordination

Use this checklist every week:

• Stocked Supplies
• Working properly equipment

When purchasing new equipment you may wish to purchase a hospital bed for sale in Toronto that considers items such as floor space, type of mattress used, and your caregiver.

Final thoughts.

Coordinating home care is not about adding to your workload. It is about creating One system — just One system — that everyone follows. Everybody is less stressed when everyone knows their role, has access to shared notes, follows a routine and uses proper equipment for daily care activities in your home.

If the care team provides your patient with a feeling of security then the process of recovering is made easier. Using a medical bed for sale for homecare and setting up your home in a proper manner can make daily care easier for most households.

Even seniors who have aging parents home hospital bed rental price can help create a comfortable atmosphere and minimize risks without giving your patients the feeling they are in a clinic in their own home.