The Caregiver’s Guide to Home Care Planning

A home care plan is a detailed, personalized daily guide that gives a clear view of your loved one's physical, mental, and social care needs.^1,2,3 It is helpful as it keeps you organized and on top of every task with support for their various needs.^2,3

A care plan for home care might include:²

• Your loved one's health conditions (cognitive, physical, or age-related)
• Medications and treatment schedules
• Health care providers and contacts
• Health insurance details
• Daily care needs

It is important to make care plans with your loved ones, their healthcare providers, and anyone else responsible for their care.2

There are many benefits to having an at home care plan for you as the caregiver, as well as the loved ones you are taking care of.

Clarity and Routine for Caregivers and the Care Recipient

A plan offers a detailed view of daily events at a glance, helping to set a routine, leading to better health and well-being.³

Prevents Missed or Overlooked Tasks

Caring for someone means juggling a lot of details. Even with the best intentions, important details can slip through the cracks. A care plan helps you stay on track with everything from medication schedules to appointments, reducing the risk of missed tasks.²

Helps Distribute Responsibilities Fairly

Caregiving at home is not a one-person job.⁴ A care plan allows you to see all care tasks and share them equally among friends, family, and professionals. This helps prevent burnout and gives everyone involved the clarity they need on the tasks at hand.

Supports Independence and Dignity

A personalized care plan centers around your loved one’s preferences. They choose everything from their meals to the timing of activities.1 It helps them feel in control and independent, even while you support them.³

Reduces Stress and Improves Coordination with Outside Services When everyone knows their expectations and responsibilities, it improves communication, avoids overlap or confusion, and makes caregiving less stressful.³

A Home care plan is essential for anyone who needs support.³ While there's no specific moment to start planning, certain life events or health conditions need it. ^3,4

Your loved one might benefit from a daily care plan if they:

• Are recovering from surgery or illness.⁴
• Are living alone and need help with daily tasks.4
• Have mobility challenges or memory issues.⁴
• Are managing a long-term health condition3 or are living with a disability⁴

Also, it could help family caregivers, especially those that are looking after their parents as well as their own children, feel less stressed and on track.⁵

Once you’ve set priorities and know what to look out for, you can learn more about developing a care plan for your elderly parent.

To give the best care possible, focus on the following 6 key areas:

1. Comfort

No doubt you’d like to make your caregiving situation as pleasant as possible for your loved one and yourself. There are several things that will help, including:

• Comfortable and clean clothes
• Comfortable furniture
• Spaces without barriers and obstacles
• Electronic devices that work
• Gentle lighting
• Music/radio within hearing/viewing distance
• A clean, fresh environment

Make everything around you more comfortable, and both of you will be much happier.

2. Meals

As the saying goes, “You are what you eat.” The fact is, diet and eating habits greatly influence health. That’s important to remember in your role as a caregiver. Proper nutrition and regular meals will help your loved one stay strong and healthy.

Here are a few tips for a simple and healthy diet:

• Encourage your loved one to eat three to five times a day and serve their meals at set times.
• Avoid food containing high levels of sodium, and add less salt to meals you’re making.
• Reduce the amount of alcohol and coffee your loved one drinks.
• Check the amount and type of fat in the food you serve.
• Encourage your loved one to drink water or juice regularly.
• If they’re unwilling to drink, try to get them to eat food with a high water content, such as fruit and soup.

3. Hygiene

If your loved one is unable to look after herself or himself, you’ll need to help them keep clean – especially if they suffer from incontinence.

The trouble is, frequent washing with soap and water can delay the skin’s ability to heal or prevent infection. It can lead to rashes, dermatitis, and infection. Irritated skin caused by incontinence can take its toll on your loved one’s physical and mental wellness. So, try to give their skin the special care it deserves.

It’s easy to help them feel clean and comfortable with TENA. Our skin care range is designed to gently clean, restore and protect even the most delicate skin.

Elderly skin health is an important aspect of caregiving. Find out how to take care of your loved one’s skin to keep them happy and healthy.

4. Activity

You and your loved one should exercise your bodies and minds regularly. It will do you both a world of good, helping you to stay healthy and feel great. So, make physical and mental exercises part of your daily caregiving routine.

Take your loved one for a walk in the park, or drive somewhere for the day. As well as being good for your health, physical exercise also improves your mood. It’ll strengthen both your immune systems and help you sleep more deeply.

Don’t forget about mental stimulation, either. Do a crossword puzzle, play a board game, or read together. Or maybe have a little chat. All those things can make both of you mentally stronger and happier.

Is your loved one unable to get about? If so, try some of these tips to stimulate their mind:

• Talk to them, show them photos or movies they used to enjoy.
• Play some music, or sing for them.
• Try to continue activities they used to enjoy; for example, reading books aloud to them.
• Arrange their bed by the window so they can enjoy the world outside.
• Take them outdoors, fresh air and sunshine can really lift the spirits.

5. Household Chores

A clean, organized home isn't just important for your loved one's health; it also improves their mood.

Household chores like laundry, cleaning, and errands can quickly pile up. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, it helps to plan ahead. For example, try setting aside one day each week just for specific household chores.

If your schedule is already full, don't hesitate to delegate. You can rely on trusted friends, family, or hire outside help such as laundry services, cleaners, or grocery delivery services.

6. Mobility

If your loved one has mobility issues or conditions like dementia, they may have trouble getting around. You can help them by making the home safe and accessible with mobility aids like walkers, grab bars, and non-slip mats.

They might also need your help when moving from places like a bed to a chair or going through narrow spaces, so they don't fall.

Another area to plan for is making your car accessible for their mobility needs. For example, if they use a wheelchair, making your car wheelchair accessible can make outings less stressful for both you and your loved one.

Here are some more tips about how you can make your home safe for the elderly.

Here is a simple step-by-step guide to keep in mind each time you need to make a personalized care plan for your loved one.

Assess Needs

Before you lay down your personalized care plan, take a moment to assess your loved one's needs.

Here are steps to help you check all the boxes:

• Jot their needs down: Start by listing the key areas to focus on: physical, emotional, medical, social, and logistical needs.
• Reflect on each area: For every item on your list, ask yourself: "How is their (insert need) met and how can I make it better?
• Talk to others: It helps to get input from their healthcare provider, your loved one, and those involved in their care.

Once you've completed these three steps, you're ready for the next one.

Set Goals

The next step is to set goals. These goals should reflect what matters most to your loved one, like independence, safety, or staying socially connected.

To set SMART goals, grab a notepad and gather your loved ones' needs assessment, daily tasks, and preferences.

Now write down the acronym SMART, and follow these tips:

S-Specific

Ask yourself, what exactly am I trying to achieve? A good example is: My loved one will drink water.

M-Measurable

Ask yourself, how would I know if my goals were met? Now, your goal may look like this: My loved one will drink 6-8 cups of water.

A-Achievable

Ask yourself, is it feasible for you, your loved one, and others to achieve it together with the available time and resources?

R-Relevant

If your goals are achievable, reflect if they match your loved ones' values and needs.

T-Time-bound

The final step is to add a timeline. Your final written goal may look like: My loved one will sip 6-8 cups of water today.

List Daily Tasks

Now that you’ve completed the needs assessment and set SMART goals, it’s time to list your loved ones’ daily care tasks.

You can use a simple home care checklist or spreadsheet to keep everything organized.

Here are some categories to include:

• Hygiene: bathing, toileting, skincare, oral care, and hair care.
• Meals: meal preparations, food of choice, grocery shopping.
• Medication: add the timing, doses, and names.
• Appointments: add the time and location.
• Companionship: social activities like board games, chatting, or puzzles.
• Mobility: walking support, transfers (bed to chair), and mobility aids.

Assign Responsibilities

When assigning tasks to family, volunteers, and professionals, think about each person's strengths, comfort levels, and availability. For example, one person may enjoy preparing meals but feel less comfortable with intimate care. Another may be great at cleaning but doesn't have time to run errands.

To avoid burnout and maintain balance, try to mix light, moderate, and heavier tasks whenever possible. For instance, someone might handle bathing, board games, and medications.

Don't forget to make space for everyone to share their preferences and concerns before finalizing, to avoid misunderstandings.

Review & Adjust

Life can be unpredictable; that's why care plans are living documents that you regularly review. You could review the plan biweekly, monthly, or as needed based on everyone's schedule.

This review allows you to adjust to changes like new health concerns, team members, or routines. It also helps reduce confusion, overlap, and keep everything on track.

Legal and financial planning help make sure your loved one's needs and preferences remain the top priority, no matter what happens.

You can speak with a financial advisor or an elder law attorney to help sort out the following:

Advanced Healthcare Directive

It allows an appointed person to make health decisions on behalf of your loved one in the event they are unable to do so themselves.⁶

Durable power of attorney

It allows an appointed person to make financial and legal decisions on behalf of your loved ones in case they are unable to do so themselves.⁶

Local government support

You can check if you're eligible for aid like Medicaid and Medicare to help ease the financial burden.

Budgeting for at-home care

This is essential as it allows you to prepare for different possibilities, prioritize bills, and save money.

Long-term care insurance

There are various kinds of care insurance with different coverage, each helping to cover expenses at home and in facilities.⁷

Creating a care plan works best when everyone involved is on the same page. Open and ongoing communication allows family members to share concerns, ask questions, and feel included in the decision-making process.

It's not always easy to gather everyone in one place, but you can stay connected using:

• Regular family meetings (in person or virtual).
• Shared calendars to track tasks, appointments, or rotating responsibilities.
• Weekly group chats or updates to check in, share progress, or raise concerns.

If disagreements arise, try to focus on your shared goal rather than the emotions you're feeling. Listening from each person’s perspective can help everyone feel heard. It's not easy, especially in the heat of the moment, but with practice, it's possible.

Caregiving can take a toll on your emotional well-being. Learn more about dealing with the emotions that come with caregiving.