Collaborating with healthcare providers as a caregiver

Good collaboration with healthcare providers helps you keep a grip on the care. As a caregiver, you often find yourself right in between the GP, home care, and hospital. Making good agreements helps reduce confusion and makes care calmer.

How do you divide the care with the GP, home care, and hospital?

When the GP, home care, specialist, and other care providers are involved, it can become unclear who keeps track of everything. In that case, it helps to record tasks, expectations, and responsibilities in a care plan.

Ask who the central care provider or fixed contact person is. This could be, for example, the GP, district nurse, or specialist nurse. Also agree on who passes on changes and who you can turn to if agreements conflict. You know your loved one well, but you do not automatically have to take over coordination of all professional care.

What do you agree on about consent and sharing information?

A medical record is private. As a relative, you may not simply view it. Do you want to look along while your loved one can still make decisions? Then permission is required for that, preferably in writing.

With your loved one’s consent, you can go along to appointments and share relevant changes. Also agree on which information will be shared. This prevents important things from being missed.

How do you prepare for a conversation with a care provider?

Write down how you help. Think of dressing, transport, appointments, supervision, administration, or support with fear and uncertainty. Also note how often this is needed and what happens if you are not there.

Prepare for the conversation with a brief overview of complaints, medications, changes, and questions. Bring your medication list with you. If you want to discuss more than one thing, ask for a double appointment. This helps in a conversation with your GP, the practitioner, or independent client support.

How do you hold a family meeting about the care?

A family meeting in the hospital helps make tasks, expectations, and information clear.

What do you do if the collaboration stalls or becomes unclear?

If the collaboration stalls, ask for support from an independent client supporter via independent client support. Also ask who the central care provider is if that is still not clear.

In the case of involuntary care in dementia or a disability, it is important to discuss this with the care provider. If necessary, ask for support from an independent client supporter via independent client support.