Geriatric Care Plan

Learn how to discuss long-term care planning, form an elder care team, create a printable daily care plan, and find the support you need to implement a successful caregiving strategy.

An elder care plan can be a scheduling tool, an informal agreement with an aging loved one, or a formal contract used to coordinate payment for care services. Learn how to create a plan of care that will help you stay focused and organized.

A personal care agreement is a contract between a care recipient and caregiver who provides their services for compensation. This binding contract defines a caregiver’s duties, ensures they’re paid fairly and safeguards a senior’s Medicaid eligibility.

Tempers can flare when an aging relative has a crisis and family members disagree on how to respond. Use these steps to help your family work as a cohesive team.

Once a geriatric care plan has been established, it should be reviewed and updated periodically to ensure its continued effectiveness for the senior, their primary caregiver, and other members of the care team.

Senior living communities conduct a needs assessment that measures potential residents’ physical and cognitive abilities to ensure that a senior’s needs match the services the community is able to provide.

Find out how to choose the best home care agency by gathering information about providers, evaluating their quality, and getting cost estimates.

Understanding what stage of heart failure a senior is in and learning how to help them manage their lifestyle to minimize symptoms can provide you both with added comfort and confidence.

Every family caregiver needs a team of people to help put their care plan into action. A well-rounded roster of friends, family members and elder care professionals can help you provide quality care and avoid caregiver burnout.

When a senior must go to a skilled nursing facility for rehabilitation after a hospital stay, it’s important for family members to understand this care transition, the new care plan and the rehab facility’s discharge criteria.

Assessing basic ADLs and instrumental ADLs helps determine the level of care a senior needs and what programs and benefits they may be eligible for.

When your aging Mom or Dad needs help, the role of family caregiver can seem overwhelming. Use this five-step plan to ensure you’re prepared to care for an aging parent.

Elder care is a continual learning process, but a few simple organization techniques can help you minimize caregiver stress and use your time and energy more efficiently.

Caring for a senior who lives far away presents many unique challenges. Use these six pointers to stay organized and informed while caregiving from a distance.

Specialized training enables in-home caregivers to notice and act on important changes in a senior’s health. Personal care aides, home health aides and nurses can serve as the eyes and ears for family who cannot personally provide full-time care.

Confusion often arises surrounding use of the term “skilled nursing.” Understanding the terminology used in the long-term care industry is an important first step in determining viable care options for an aging loved one.

Whether caregiving has slowly crept into your daily life or you’re suddenly facing difficult decisions following a serious health scare, use these pointers as a guide for caring for an elderly parent.

Immediate family often serves as the foundation of a senior’s care team, but relationship dynamics can hinder vital planning and decision-making processes. Discover simple do’s and don’ts that will make care meetings less complicated and more productive.

When one sibling does all the caregiving for aging parents, it often breeds tension and resentment. Take an objective look at your siblings’ reasons for staying at arm’s length and learn how you can get everyone on the same page.

Considering assisted living? When it comes time for a senior to find and transition into assisted living, caregivers and family members have lots of question. We've compiled common questions about finding, paying for and moving to an ALF.