Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Care Plan Reviews

Tuesday was Patti’s quarterly Care Plan Review or in ‘federal speak’:

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 42 PUBLIC HEALTH, Chapter IV, Part 483 – Requirements for States and Long Term Care Facilities, Sec. 483.20 - RESIDENT ASSESSMENT:

(c) Quarterly review assessment. A facility must assess a resident using the quarterly review instrument specified by the State and approved by CMS not less frequently than once every 3 months.
I will admit in the beginning of the care facility era I was flustered by sitting down with people representing departments such as nutrition, activities, therapy, nursing, administration, etc. After all I had done this all by myself for a decade and a half of homecare.

With time I have learned the advantages to team work and the challenges of communications in any care facility. There are not only departments representing the skills of care but three shifts of people needed to staff 24/7 care.

Yes, sometimes a review may be much about nothing. Yet other times they have been most productive and insightful for all.

Too few families either cannot or do not involve themselves in the care facility era making these quarterly reviews more important for patients and families than any compliance with law.

Cognitive impairment can prevent many patients from directing their own care. The law can make facilities sit down and talk but it cannot make caregivers and families attend.

Come to think of it, how many homecare situations really take time to “review” and “plan”? Speaking for myself I was too busy juggling parenting, homemaking, working, and scrambling to keep up with progressing Multiple Sclerosis.

From Patti’s perspective Care Plan Reviews are always positive because they mean an earlier and longer outing, since they are scheduled in early afternoon.

On a gorgeous February afternoon there is nothing quite like enjoying a smoke with a duck.

Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer
musings: Patrick Ponders ...

3 comments:

  1. LOL, Patrick! that last picture and your witty humor made me laugh this evening

    I would think care plan meetings are very important for all; bet you could teach them a thing or two, too, with your experience of doing it on your own for so long!

    (taking a bit of a break from journaling but still reading my favorite journals, so I'll be by as you make entries; got to get a smile somehow or another :)

    betty

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  2. I think the care plan meetings are important as sometimes none of the team ever meet on their schedules unless it is a planned meeting. The photo's are wonderful. I clicked on them to see them larger and really love both.

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  3. Uh, Patrick? Have you seen Richie's Lesson on Cockney rhyming slang? "Enjoying a smoke with a duck" means something entirely different to him.

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