The Importance of Advanced Care Planning
For those of us who work in the home care field, we definitely see a strong
seasonal increase in the need for services in the first few months of the new
year. This is because when families get together over the holidays, family
members often are surprised at how other (typically elderly parents) have
unfortunately changed with regard to their ability to live independently in
a quality manner.
At that point, families that lack a previously prepared plan of what to do
in this situation, are caught in a “scramble mode” to quickly identify and
provide additional assistance to the affected family member. Considering
this, it is very important for loved ones to proactively initiate and complete
conversations with one another that define the type of care one needs as
they age or encounter a health issue.
This process is formally called Advanced Care Planning and allows one to
make current and future health care wishes known, and to assign someone
trusted to make medical decisions for them if they, due to a disability
or advanced age, are not able. While this process can be easy to put off
and uncomfortable to discuss with loved ones, it has many benefits like
allowing one to have a voice in their medical care when they can’t speak
for themselves, and freeing family members of uncertainty and conflict
regarding medical care decisions.
Advanced Care Planning clearly outlines the type of care a loved one wants
based upon changing needs and settings. For example, it would define
that the person wants to stay in his or her residence until death (with the
assistance of caregivers from a home care agency such as HomeWerks
Home Care) versus being admitted to a nursing home or assisted living
facility once the person reaches a certain point such as limited mobility or
mental function.
The process includes the completion of very important documents such as
a DNR (Do-Not Resuscitate form), Living Will and HCPOA (Healthcare
Power of Attorney form). It is imperative that every individual 50 years of
age or older have these forms completed and shared with loved ones.
Not completing Advanced Care Planning is ironically the reason why
HomeWerks Home Care LLC exists in the first place. Paula and I had a
distant relative who lived in Durham, NC and regretfully did not complete
an Advanced Care Planning process. He became disabled and did not have
any other close family members.
Paula unexpectedly became his health care power of attorney and for 10
years oversaw and directed his health care needs and decisions. It was
from this experience that we saw the need for a different type of agency
to provide home care services in the Raleigh and Wilmington areas. This
led us to start HomeWerks Home Care LLC in 2010, which is committed
to providing high quality services customized and tailored for each client.
Home Care & Advanced Care Planning
From operating this business for over 10 years, we have found that most
people (including Paula and I) want to stay in their own homes as they age.
At some point, though, this will likely require the assistance of in-home
caregivers.
For someone who has completed Advanced Care Planning and is selecting
a suitable home care provider, it is very important to ask lots and lots of
questions. We actually hand out to potential clients a list of questions to
ask, like: How do you match caregivers to clients? How do you screen and
hire your caregivers? How do you maintain quality standards as needs
change and keep family members informed?
As part of the Advanced Care Planning process, deciding to initiate home
care services is an important, and often daunting, decision. People seek
home care for many reasons, including short-term help following an
illness or hospitalization, or long-term when the condition is progressive
such as dementia, Parkinson Disease, or cancer. Care is also often sought
to give “respite time” to the existing primary caregiver.
Family caregivers often cannot sustain it for long without negative
repercussions to their own health and well-being. Waiting too long
is human nature, as is denial on the part of the older adult and family
members. Be honest with yourself if you are the primary caregiver: Will
help make things easier? Can you truly provide the best care if you want
to keep the person at home? While acknowledging it is an adjustment to
have a new person in the home, the initiation of home care services can
bring immense improvement in the quality of life to not only the patient,
but also to the family and current primary caregiver(s).
With our roots in Wilmington, Paula and I are excited to be introducing
our company in this community and offering our unique care services to
the residents of Landfall, Wrightsville Beach and the surrounding area.
Please give us a call if you have questions about advanced care planning,
how home care services work and the types of services we offer. We’d be
happy to discuss this with you.