Family Care

Preparing for change and transition – Family Meetings

Older adults are living longer through medical advances and commitment to their own personal health care.  As your older adult ages they will face changes and transitions.  Some of these changes and transitions are predictable, others are not.  All of these changes and transitions require careful planning and dialogue between your older adult, their healthcare practitioner and you.  The sooner you begin preparing for these transitions the easier your older adult will weather the changes and transitions the future has to hold.  Meetings with your older adult and all involved family members may lead to an optimal level of health and wellness and add to connection between all of you.

Potential challenges

Some potential challenges that you and your family face that can be discussed at family meetings include but not limited to:

  • Organizing your older adults medical appointments and the follow-up services and/or care
  • Managing medications; ordering and refilling medications, managing their administration by older adults and/or caregivers
  • Deciding on home modifications for the reasons for safety and living as long as possible in their own home
  • Managing household tasks and responsibilities such as cleaning, shopping for food and essentials, preparing meals and snacks, and repair and maintenance of yard and home
  • Assisting with all activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, eating and toileting
  • Coping with the emotional feelings that come with loss of vision, hearing, physical strength, etc.
  • Coping with feelings of caregiver stress such as anxiety, depression, and/or anger

Frequent Communication & Updates

Up to date communication is essential for you and your family.  You will appreciate receiving texts, e-mail and/or phone communication following every meeting our staff has with your older adult.  We will share updated information from each visit so that you are aware of your older adult’s physical, emotional, social functioning at the time that we meet with them, potential changes they might be facing, interventions and/or recommended interventions and potential solutions.

What you can expect from family meetings

You are faced by so many challenges when caring for your older adult.  You can expect to discuss your concerns and fears in a family meeting.  You can expect to plan for the challenges that you and other caregivers are facing and to be offered potential solutions and interventions.  Everyone needs a chance to talk and to be heard.  Caring for your older adult is a challenging role, and even more so when done balancing care of younger children, a career, and/or other family or community members.  Ultimately, you will understand the interventions and develop goals that everyone can agree on in hopes for the same outcomes.

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