How to Discuss Care Needs With Elderly Clients

Dealing with an older client's care needs requires you to keep in mind that flexibility in both approach and information provided may be required. The complexity of an elderly client's needs may be heightened by such factors as mental status, and the client's acceptance of his condition and the care related to it. Your client's cultural history and background may influence your approach, as can your client's support or lack thereof by family and friends.

Instructions

• 1

  Evaluate the client. Use any available medical and care records to asses your client's physical and medical needs. You may want to include any available information relating to your client's psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs in your evaluation. Ideally, you and your client will work together to develop his total plan of care. Input from the client and his family at this stage assists the discussion of care needs. During this stage, monitor the client's attitude and understanding of his condition.

• 2

  Keep discussions brief and provide easy-to-understand information and answers. The client will retain information better with shorter, more frequent conversations rather than lengthy discussions. The client's physical and mental conditions dictate the length and depth of the care needs discussion.

• 3

  Be flexible when developing approaches to reach plan-of-care goals. Difficulties may arise if the client is indifferent or resistant to any of his necessary care needs.

  Usually, there is more than one approach that takes you and the client toward a goal. Be straightforward in your responses if the client exhibits resistance to agreeing to any goal vital to his care needs. Explain the goals in whatever terms are needed to ensure the client's understanding of the importance of the goals.

• 4

  Remember that although you may be the care provider, it is the client who drives the service. Let the client know that care approaches can be tried and changed if needed.

• 5

  Enlist the assistance of the guardian or spouse, if possible. Involve family members or friends throughout the stages of planning and discussing care needs, if the client permits. If the client has memory or judgment impairments, his legal guardian will need to be included in the discussion. Include loved ones in the discussion as your client is likely to be more trusting of someone they know, at least initially. As you come to know the client better, the element of trust between you will grow.