If you have a loved one in a facility, assisted living, nursing home or developmentally disabled setting, the service staff will contact you periodically about having a care plan meeting.
In assisted living, we call them service plans rather than care plan meetings. In developmentally disabled facilities, we call the meetings individual service plans. Regardless of the name, they are all are held because they are mandated by the licensure body of the facility, but more importantly, they are for sharing information about the resident or client. I attend many of these meetings, and I find most of them are of limited value when the staff at the facility is leading the meetings.
There are challenges with this - including:
To make the meeting have more value as a family member here are some ideas.
Care plan meetings are important. Facilities will usually try their best to find time for the meeting that is convenient for you. If the care plan team is not willing to do this, speak to the administrator or the director of nurses who can act as an advocate for you.
Remember, you are your loved one’s advocate especially if the individual has dementia or is not able to speak for themselves. Ask questions and do not stop until you understand. You are an important resource for your family member, and they are relying on you. Please contact me if you have further questions about care meetings.