What Is A Care Plan?
Once you’ve chosen a care home (hopefully Birchwood House!) for your loved one (or yourself), the next step is to create a personalised care plan. But what is it – and why is it needed?
A care plan is essentially a written statement of the individual’s needs, preferences and wishes, wrapped up in a proactive, personalised plan. Following a full assessment, the plan is created using a combination of observation and knowledge of each resident which can then be used to improve the quality of their life – and is crucial when identifying and responding quickly to any changes. It will include the necessary medical information, but it goes beyond their health needs; it also takes into account their life history, culture, religion, interests, and so on. Where possible, we involve the family (or close friends) so that we have as full a picture as possible of the individual to ensure their health and happiness at their time here at Birchwood House.
A good care plan should include regular reviews and up-to-date, easy to access records help staff to have the right information at their fingertips. It’s a 2-way form of communication and, as a working document, it’s updated to reflect any changes – especially useful in a residential care environment where the individual may be cared for day-to-day by a team, rather than by one individual carer.
A care plan can help give confidence to staff by giving them the right knowledge, reduce accidents and increase the quality of life for residents. The team at Birchwood House takes our care plans very seriously; as well as it being a legal requirement, it’s also important that every resident feels that they are being listened to and that their unique needs are being met, as summed up in these testimonials from some of our residents’ family members:
“Thank you for mother’s care plan – very perceptive of mothers’ needs and of course well implemented on a daily basis. Forever grateful.”
“Mother’s care plan is very comprehensive and everything is done to make her comfortable. We would like to thank the staff for all their care and understanding.”
To find out more about our care plans, get in touch with one of team, who would be happy to have a chat.
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