I have had diabetes my entire life, and I am very thankful for the fact that modern medical discoveries have helped me live a happy, healthy life despite my disease. I have had to watch what I eat and take medications daily for most of my life, and while i used to feel like I was "missing out" when other children were able to eat sugary candy and I wasn't, I eventually learned that sugar-free candy tastes great. I am always keeping up on the latest diabetes research, and while researching, I have also learned about many other diseases and ailments and how they are treated and controlled. I know others are too busy to browse a bunch of medical websites, like I like to do, so I decided to start a blog that others can visit that contains information on a variety of medical topics all in one place!
Modern Medicine Saves Lives Every Day
3 Tips To Make The Most Of Your Loved One's Nursing Care Plan
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Whether your loved one has recently moved into a nursing home or will be doing so in the future, the fact remains that your loved one will have a detailed nursing care plan that will serve as a road map to his or her overall health and well being. Of course, it'll mostly be the nursing home staff's responsibility to ensure that your loved one follows his or her care plan, but there are also some steps that you can take to help your loved one achieve the highest quality of living while in nursing care.
Attend Care Plan Meetings
When your loved one is admitted into nursing care, there will more than likely be an initial care plan meeting scheduled. The goal of such a meeting is to come up with a viable nursing care plan for your loved one to ensure that he or she has medical needs met while ensuring the highest possible quality of life.
Generally, these meetings are attended by the nursing assistant (CNA), your loved one's primary nursing caregivers, and the resident him or herself. However, you should also ask for permission from your loved one to attend this meeting (and all subsequent care plan meetings) so that you can get an understanding of what your loved one's plan will involve. (For information on in home nursing care, contact Professional Nurses Registry)
Ask Plenty of Questions
Whether you end up attending the care plan meeting or not, there are some questions you should plan on asking the staff about your loved one's care plan as well. For example, if your loved one has a problem with chronic pain, you might want to ask the staff how they'll handle complaints of pain from your loved one; will they generally prescribe a new medication or will they explore less drastic alternatives first? How will residents be monitored for possible drug interactions? These are all important questions to ask.
Stay as Involved as Possible
Finally, understand that your loved one's care plan will most likely need to change slightly over time to meet changing needs and conditions. Always do your best to stay on top of things by requesting to be contacted by the nursing home any time there's an adjustment to your loved one's nursing care plan. Be aware of how to contact the nursing home ombudsman and other higher-up staff members should you ever have any questions, concerns, or feel the need to voice your opinion about something.
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