Building a Family Care Plan

What you will be able to do

• describe what a family care plan is and how it fits alongside any care plan from a home care agency, hospital or state program.
• involve the person you care for in decisions, using widely accepted principles about decision-making capacity.
• map daily needs, including eating, drinking, medicines support, safety and social contact.
• share caregiving roles fairly and build a weekly schedule with a named back-up for every task.
• find local caregiver support through the Eldercare Locator and your Area Agency on Aging, and know which programs and workplace options to ask about.
• complete a key contacts sheet and an emergency information sheet, and know where to keep them.
• set review dates and spot the changes that mean the plan needs updating.
• recognize signs of caregiver strain and know where to get support.

1. 1Starting your family care plan

   What a family care plan is, why it helps everyone, and how to build it with the person you care for rather than around them.

   • What a family care plan is (and what it is not)
   • Putting the person at the center

   Family care plan

2. 2Building the picture of needs

   Map a typical day and week, then look closely at eating and drinking, medicines support, safety, memory and social contact.

   • Mapping a typical day and week
   • Eating, drinking and medicines support
   • Safety at home, memory and social contact

   Family care plan

3. 3Sharing the caring: roles and the schedule

   Divide caring jobs fairly across family and friends, including those far away, and build a weekly schedule with a named back-up for every slot.

   • Dividing roles fairly
   • Building a schedule that works
   • Running a family care meeting

   Roles and schedule plannerFamily care plan

4. 4Finding outside support in the US

   How to find local caregiver support through the Eldercare Locator and your Area Agency on Aging, which programs and workplace options to ask about, and how to work with the doctor, pharmacy and hospital as a family caregiver.

   • Your Area Agency on Aging and caregiver support
   • Money, work and practical help to check
   • Working with the doctor, pharmacy and hospital

   Family care planRoles and schedule plannerKey contacts sheet

5. 5Key contacts, emergencies and paperwork

   Build your key contacts sheet and emergency information sheet, plan for the main caregiver suddenly being unavailable, and understand powers of attorney and advance directives.

   • Your key contacts sheet
   • Emergency information and Plan B
   • Powers of attorney, advance directives and important paperwork

   Key contacts sheetEmergency information sheet

6. 6Keeping the plan working, and looking after you

   Review and update the plan as needs change, and protect the health and well-being of the main caregiver.

   • Reviewing and updating the plan
   • Looking after yourself as a caregiver

   Family care planRoles and schedule planner

• TemplateFamily care planBrings together, on one or two pages, what the person you care for needs, what matters to them and how the family will help.
• PlannerRoles and schedule plannerShows, for each day of the week, who covers each part of the day, plus who handles the jobs that can be done from a distance and who steps in as back-up.
• TemplateKey contacts sheetKeeps every important name and number in one place, so anyone stepping in can find the right person quickly.
• TemplateEmergency information sheetGives EMTs, hospital staff or a stand-in caregiver the essential facts about the person in one page, plus a Plan B if the main caregiver is suddenly unavailable.