Care plans form an important part of your experience in a care home or nursing home. Every resident has one, and they’re designed to lay out your care requirements, so you know what to expect when living in an Aria Care community.
What is a care plan?
A care plan is a guide to the care required by an individual, so that whoever is on-duty in the residence has a clear understanding of that resident’s needs.
For some, it may just include simple assistance with daily life, such as personal care or assistance with eating, while for others it can include round-the-clock supervision or administering of long-term medical care.
The care plan also ensures that the care the individual receives is recorded and supports them to identify and manage any changes to their needs.
What is in a care plan?
Your plan will contain several different elements, including:
- What your assessed care needs are
- The type of support you need and should receive
- The desired outcomes of the care
- Who should provide the care
- When the care should be provided
- Records of care provided
- Any personal preferences or requests
- Medical history and details of equipment or adaptations required
As you can see, it is a comprehensive guide to your needs and will ensure you always receive the same level of care and support from any member of the Aria Care team.
Why are care plans important?
Care plans are important for every person receiving care. They ensure that each individual consistently receives the correct care and that their personal requirements or preferences are known by every member of the Aria Care team that will be working with them.
They also help enable residents to live as independently as possible, as the plan outlines the care required but ensures the carer knows which areas the resident is comfortable to handle themselves.
Person-centred care is at the heart of everything we do at Aria Care, and so these plans help ensure that everything we do for each resident is focused on their specific health and wellbeing requirements.
Finally, they record key conversations and decisions related to the delivery of care for the individual. This is important as it helps document how these decisions were made and the agreed outcomes for them.
Updating care plans
Care plans are evolving documents that adapt to meet the needs of the individual. We will review them as necessary, allowing the residents to influence the care they receive and ensuring it takes into consideration their changing preferences.
Find out more about the Types of Care on offer at Aria Care homes.
