care of the elderly care plans

[obriel25]

Hi! first time user hope i do this correctly.... Im a registered general nurse in ireland and im looking to update the type of care plan we use in my care home. The ones we currently use are very formal and i feel are not reflecting the residents life. I feel it would be beneficial to have a section or form introduced to allow the nurses and carers a section to read so get a sense of that resident eg growing up,schools they went to,old jobs,hobbies. This i think would provide a more personal approach as if a resident was restless we could sit them down and talk about the old times that they still remember... any suggestions on books or assessments already in existence to my topic would be of great help.

thanks

[MurrR]

Maybe instead of having a form, you could have a list of questions that new aides and nurses can ask your residents? The list could be tailored to each resident. Say, for instance, you have a woman who never had children. You wouldn't want aides to ask "How are your kids?" but they might ask "Where did you grow up?" or "What did you do before you lived here?" Part of the fun of getting to know new people is starting at the beginning.

[SammiJoRNBSN]

I have worked with the geriatric population for a number of years (and love it). I always default to asking where the person is from, about their kids or family (whichever is applicable). :) They are always willing to tell you plenty of stories...