Top questions to ask your loved one’s health care team

If a loved one is receiving home-based care, you and other family members may choose to prioritize being part of their home health care team. Unless you have round-the-clock coverage, there will be times when you will be providing caregiver support — for both routine care as well as medical emergencies. The first step in preparing for these responsibilities is to know what questions to ask the patient’s care team and to seek clear, practical answers — starting when your loved one enters home-based care and continuing throughout the entire care journey.

“Among the key factors in a successful home health or hospice experience is effective communication between the care team and the patient and their loved ones,” says VP Clinical Excellence, Patty D’Arena at Enhabit Home Health & Hospice. “At Enhabit, one of the key areas of focus is education. We provide our patients with resources and tools to manage their care. In addition, we ensure that caregivers are aware of what to expect and are well prepared to fulfill whatever caregiving responsibilities they’ve chosen to assume. Regardless of the extent of their role, the caregiver is a vital member of the team, and we want them to have the knowledge they need to support the patient in meeting their goals.”

While each situation will be unique and we cannot cover all the possible scenarios, our goal is to give you a much better understanding of your role in supporting the care plan for your loved one.

Engaging the care team: Tips and techniques

We understand that conversations about medical care can be stressful, confusing and at times, emotional. Complex health issues often lend themselves to complex answers and a degree of ambiguity, which can be difficult to fully comprehend, especially when decisions need to be made quickly. With the right preparation, caregivers can drive the conversation to glean the information and answers they need to help implement the plan of care.

Get answers sooner rather than later

Many questions weigh on caregivers’ minds before home-based care even starts. Concentrate on obtaining the answers you need as early in the process as possible. This will allow you time to prepare for patient transfer and address the progression of the disease or end-of-life process for your loved one.

Vocalize your questions and concerns

Speak up when you have questions for the care team and raise any concerns you may have. If a question arises outside of a scheduled appointment, use other available communications channels (e.g., nurse’s line, online portal, etc.) to get the answers you need.

Prepare a list of questions

Make notes in advance of medical appointments of what you would like to cover and prioritize your list of questions. Be sure to ask the most important questions first.

Create a list of medications and medical history

Keeping track of so many details for someone else can be overwhelming, so having a “cheat sheet” handy can help fill in any gaps as you have conversations with the care team. The more context you can provide to the care team, the better they can answer your questions.

Put it in writing

Don’t expect to keep every answer in your head. Take notes in case you need to refer back to it later.

Ensure you understand the answers

Don’t hesitate to ask the care team to slow down, repeat themselves or explain things more clearly.

Get copies of essential information

When at a doctor’s or hospital/rehab appointment, ask for printed copies of all diagnoses, treatment plans and lab results and review them after appointments to make sure you have no follow-up questions.

Keep your paperwork organized

File and store your notes and paperwork in a safe, easily accessible place for quick reference.

Click here to view the checklist for home health.

Click here to view the checklist for hospice.