Tools for effective partnership-centred care

Healthcare teams, including carers, health professionals and allied support staff, are vital to the success of effective partnership-centred care.

Effective partnership-centred care

Some of the practical strategies healthcare teams can use to support the wellbeing and needs of older people include:

• consult the older person about decisions involving their health and care.
• contact the older person’s appointed representative(s) as required
• involve the older person’s social and healthcare networks (as appropriate) to gain other perspectives
• invite family members to attend healthcare discussions
• provide adequate notice for partners-in-care to attend healthcare meetings
• record discussion points for partners-in-care who are unable to attend meetings
• respect the older person’s right to privacy
• create warm, comfortable and inviting indoor and outdoor social areas that are child- and pet-friendly for the older person’s family and friends to meet
• encourage family members to include the older person in social events and gatherings hosted outside of their care facility
• make new visitors feel welcome by orienting them on their first visit to the environment
• provide visiting health professionals with suitable spaces in which to work and consult with the older person
• encourage partners-in-care to report any incidents where family, friends or staff are not acting in the best interests of the older person
• hold regular staff meetings that encourage discussion about care issues and strategies
• explore the use of volunteers to assist the older person to keep in touch with family, friends and other social, cultural, religious or community groups
• communicate with other members of the older person’s healthcare team about issues or concerns early and often
• seek feedback from other partners in care to discover different perspectives and help evaluate the effectiveness of the older person’s care plan.

If you’d like to learn more about partnership-centred care, check out the full online course from Deakin University, below.