Planning With Consumers
Published: 26 June 2023
Published: 26 June 2023
Being able to make decisions about their own lives, and having those decisions respected, is a fundamental right of people receiving care (ACQSC 2022).
Therefore, aged care clients should be adequately supported to participate in the planning of care and services provided to them.
Providers are expected to work alongside clients in order to plan care and services that meet their clients’ needs, goals and preferences (ACQSC 2022).
Even if the client is experiencing challenges in their life, providers should support them to achieve their goals and live meaningfully while maximising their quality of life (ACQSC 2022).
Planning with consumers involves communicating with the client about their preferences, assessing their abilities and then delivering care that allows them to fulfil their goals. Plans should be regularly reviewed in order to identify changes in the client’s circumstances and adjust care and services accordingly (ACQSC 2022).
As an essential component of consumer-directed care, planning is expected to involve the client, encourage their input and provide them with the required information to make informed decisions (Larter 2023).
Clients should be supported to actively participate in the planning of their care. If they wish to do so, they should be involved in all decision-making, planning and goal setting (ACSQHC 2022).
Planning with consumers is a component of the Aged Care Quality Standards, Standard 2: Ongoing Assessment and Planning with Consumers.
Providers should:
(ACQSC 2022)
Taking a consumer-focused approach means being a good listener and understanding what your clients want to gain from their own lives. Your role is to explore options and solutions that will guide them towards their goals rather than enforcing what you think is best for them (Donna 2019).
Consider your client’s:
(Donna 2019)
The outcomes of assessment and planning are expected to be documented in a care and services plan, which should be kept accurate and current. A care and services plan may comprise one or several documents and should be available to both the provider and client when needed (ACQSC 2022).
The plan should include the client’s needs, goals and preferences and may also include advance care planning (ACQSC 2022).
The goal of care plans is to:
(St Vincent's Care 2023)
Care plans must be readily available to the client and their loved ones (St Vincent's Care 2023).
The provider and client should agree on a review date for the care plan depending on the client’s needs and the services being provided (ACQSC 2022).
Providers should work together with clients receiving care and services at home to develop an emergency plan. As the carer may not always be present, it’s essential that the client knows what to do in such a situation.
(PalliAGED 2021)
A key component of planning care with clients is identifying and setting goals that reflect the client’s personal and clinical needs, preferences, expectations and aspirations. Goal-setting is shown to improve clients’ satisfaction, quality of life and self-efficacy (ACSQHC 2019).
While a conversation with the client about their values and preferences may suffice at a minimum, you may also utilise tools, frameworks, models or person-centred communication models in order to identify goals. These goals should then be used to inform the client’s care (ACSQHC 2019).
The following principles should be used when identifying and setting goals:
(ACSQHC 2019)
Providers are expected to regularly review care plans to ensure:
(ACQSC 2022)
Plans should be reviewed when:
(ACQSC 2022)
Question 1 of 3
When should care plans be reviewed?