Caregivers Make A Significant Difference in Client's Lives

Caregivers take note:
We need to show family members that when employing us to help a loved one, we will make a real difference in the lives of our clients. How so?

We are there on a daily basis and can monitor changes in our client's condition, which may make it possible to discover problems when they first begin to occur, before they become major and require hospitalization.

We do not need to be a nurse or even an NA in order to do this. What we need is to be organized and observant. Here is how I manage my client's health.....

I keep a notebook and log in it daily.
I log moods, behaviors, weight, appetite etc. Things that are specifically important to each client's health. This will vary depending on issues that each one is dealing with. In this way I can look back and see how things have been going and I can answer questions family members and doctors may have. Using my log I then send an email update each week or more frequently if necessary to my primary contact in the family giving them an overview of conditions.

I have found that this helps me stay on top of issues and the family remarks that they appreciate the consise updates. It puts them at ease knowing I am keeping close track of things.

Try this method yourself and share your ideas with the rest of us. We will all be better PALs if we learn from each other.

Take care

Ruth Anne