If the person receiving care is being cared for at home, communication between you and the various health care providers will be key. One way to keep track of important information is to use a home chart. It is a communication tool between the family caregiver, health care provider(s) and the care recipient and should travel with the care recipient. A home chart helps you keep track of important information about the care recipient – information that you may routinely need to share with healthcare providers, such as paramedics, hospital emergency staff or the general practitioner.
Important information to include on a home chart
Some of the sections of information that are usually covered in a home chart are:
- Contact information (e.g., name and phone numbers of doctor, care providers, support services, specialists, family members, and so forth).
- Current medications (e.g., any allergies; amount and how often medicine is given, including over the counter drugs vitamins, herbs and homeopathic remedies; date that each prescription was last filled; any unusual occurrences or reactions to medications given; what food or activities should be avoided).
- Medical information (e.g., brief medical history, date and reason of last visit to physician, any specific health concerns to be attended to, date and reason for hospital or facility admission, copies of test results).
- Charting of daily routine, health care and/or interactions with health care providers (e.g., could be a communication log for various health care providers to note on a day to day, week to week or regular basis, how the care receiver is doing, what the exercise regimen is, how rehabilitation is going, nutritional needs, and so forth).
- Plan of care (e.g., copies of assessment results, outline of assistance and care needed and any relevant instructions such as incontinence care, how to operate equipment).
- Health decisions and coverage information (e.g. health card number, information about hhealth insurance, living wills, advance directives, veteran’s status, organ donation)
The use of a home chart is entirely voluntary; however, there are several reasons why using one can help. Home charts can:
- Promote a link between the patient and health care providers.
- Improve co-ordination of care.
- Reduce stress for the care receiver and caregiver by removing the need to tell one’s story over and over.
- Track trends about what works or doesn’t work for the care receiver.
- Help inform health care professionals and provide an orientation to the ongoing care needs of the care recipient.
A Home chart may be considered for use with:
- Anyone living at home with complex health issues or prolonged chronic need for care.
- Anyone receiving care from two or more service providers.
Some points to remember:
- When filling out the chart, use a pencil, as prescriptions will probably change over time.
- Include all non-prescribed medications.
- Try to use the same pharmacist, as he/ she is a key member of your health care team. Using the same pharmacist will allow him/her to keep an eye out for errors and potentially dangerous combinations.
For more information on how to manage medicines, please refer to the Safe Medicines for Seniors: A Guide for Caregivers.
One person’s experience:
“Five years ago we started a home chart based on the palliative care model. It is very low tech. When used it is very effective. Hospital admissions are inevitable for someone like my mother at the end of her life, so a home chart provides a quick detail of things like medical history and current medications. The paramedics are ever so grateful for the summary of my mother’s medical situation and her medications which I have at the ready for such times.”
Adapted from: Family Caregivers' Network Society, Resource Guide for Family Caregivers, 2006.