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If you have a loved one living at a nursing home, you may receive an invitation to attend their care conference (sometimes called a care plan meeting). Before the pandemic, nursing homes held these meetings onsite. Now, with social distancing rules, you’re more likely to see an invitation to attend through a conference call or a video meeting.
You may wonder whether it’s essential for you to take part in these conferences. Are they simply a formality, or do they make a positive difference in the care of your loved one?
After reading this post, I hope you’ll consider yourself a valuable member of the resident’s care team, and you’ll actively take part in your loved one’s care conferences.
Who attends the care conference?
The most important person at the meeting is the resident. Federal law enables residents to attend their care conferences whenever feasible. They also have the right to choose not to participate. You’ll receive an invitation if the resident wants you to be there or if you are their health care representative.
Staff from the core nursing home departments also attend. These usually include nursing, social services, dietary, and activities. Additional team members such as chaplaincy, hospice, or rehab services may also take part depending on the needs of the individual resident.
What is the purpose of a care conference?
First, it’s essential to know that every resident has a detailed and individualized care plan. It includes their strengths, needs, and goals. It also includes steps the care team will take to help the resident experience the best possible quality of life at the nursing home.
During the conference, the team reviews the resident’s progress toward those goals and looks for areas of the care plan that need updating. Here’s where you become an important advocate for the resident.
Sometimes the staff may face challenges in coming up with effective steps to help the resident meet their goals. You can share vital information about the resident’s history that will prove helpful. For example, you may know details about their eating habits, hobbies, family background, or work history.
When are care conferences held?
You can expect an initial care conference shortly after admission to the nursing home. After that, they occur every three months, and when a resident has a significant change in their condition. Additional conferences may be scheduled upon request.
How can you help?
These are a few tips to help you be an effective member of the team at care conferences:
1. A care conference is an excellent place to discuss concerns. However, it’s best to alert staff to issues at the time they happen. Please don’t save them up over three months and then spring them on staff at the meeting.
It’s much easier to investigate concerns at the time they happen. Plus, it’s best for your peace of mind and the wellbeing of the resident to get problems resolved right away.
2. If you would like to attend a care conference, but the assigned time doesn’t work for you, let staff know you would like to change it. However, remember that nursing homes schedule conferences on the days and times when the most staff can attend. So, if you request an alternate time, some departments may not be available.
3. It’s often helpful to jot down questions in advance. There will be a lot of information discussed at the meeting, and it’s easy for thoughts to get lost. You may also wish to jot down notes during the conference. This makes it easier to follow up on the care plan changes you discuss.
4. If you don’t understand something, please speak up and ask for clarification. Other people have probably asked the same questions in the past. I’ll admit that we as healthcare providers sometimes slip into using medical terms or phrases, forgetting that others may not know what we mean.
Do you have other questions or suggestions about nursing home care conferences? Please share in the comment section!
(Another meeting that people often have questions about is the resident council. Find out all about these groups in this post.)
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