How to Communicate Effectively with Your Home Care Provider

Communicating with Your Carers, Care Team and Home Care provider

When it comes to supporting your elderly parents at home, clear communication with your home care provider can significantly improve the quality of care they receive. This guide provides tips on setting expectations, giving feedback, and maintaining open lines of communication with the carers that form Mum and Dad’s care team.

Setting Expectations from Day One

Establishing clear expectations from the start ensures that you, your loved one, and the care provider are aligned. There’s nothing worse than assuming something is taken for granted and it not being done or considered.

From our experience, you should consider discussing:

• Specific Needs: Outline your parent’s routine, medical conditions, and any special requirements they may have.
• Preferred Communication Methods: Decide whether you’d like updates by phone, email, or WhatsApp and set a preferred frequency.

*we think that a great way of keeping on the pulse is to have a message sent after every visit highlighting what the Carer got up to and how they found your parents.

• Goals of Care: Ensure the care provider understands personal or family goals, such as improving mobility or maintaining social engagement.

By setting these expectations, you and your care team will be better equipped to provide the best possible support for your parents. We conduct a thorough discussion with you when you first start your care journey with Gladys to make sure we have everything we need in order to find you the perfect matches.

How to Provide Feedback on Care and Changes in Circumstances

Open, constructive feedback is essential to maintaining high-quality care. Most (good) home care providers value input that helps them tailor their services to meet your family's specific needs. This goes for Caregivers and Helpers, too. Here’s how we recommend you approach it.

• Regular catch-ups: Schedule periodic check-ins to discuss what’s working well and any areas needing change. Remember, older people’s routines might be fairly stable but can often change quickly with unexpected health declines.
• Addressing Changes to Circumstances Promptly: If your parent’s health or circumstances change, immediately update the care team. This ensures they can adjust their approach to meet any new needs that might have arisen while they weren’t present.
• Give Specific Examples: When giving feedback, be as specific as possible. Instead of saying, “We need more support,” try, “Would you please make sure that mum eats a full hot meal at least twice a week as we think she’s losing a bit of weight? If she doesn’t want to, then don’t force the issue, but please let me know.” This kind of clarity makes it easier for Caregivers and Helpers to deliver the care you envision.

Constructive feedback will strengthen the relationship with your Care team, fostering trust and ultimately ensuring consistency and continuity so that you can see your parents well looked after.

Maintaining Open Communication with Your Care Team

Building a solid rapport with your care team fosters a collaborative approach to your parent’s well-being. Keep these strategies in mind to maintain effective communication:

• Be Accessible: Ensure the care team knows how to reach you or another point of contact in case of an emergency or essential updates.
• Encourage Transparency: Let the carers know you welcome updates, both big and small, about your parents' well-being. This will encourage them to be proactive in sharing information.
• Ask Questions: Don’t hesitate to ask questions if you’re unsure about any aspect of the care being provided. This shows your engagement and gives you insight into your parent’s day-to-day support.

By maintaining open communication with the Carers and Helpers in your care team, you’ll create a supportive environment where your loved one can thrive. A proactive approach to communication benefits everyone involved and ensures that your parent’s needs are always at the forefront.

Remember, if you’re a Gladys client, we can always support this dialogue and will do our utmost to ensure that the Caregivers and Helpers you’re introduced to provide the best quality of care to your family and loved ones.

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