The Importance of Family Engagement in Home Care

At the heart of excellent home care is the understanding that families play an important role, both emotionally and practically in supporting their loved ones.

A family-centred (or person-centred) approach can genuinely transform the lives of clients receiving homecare, helping to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness and making sure their rights are respected at all times.

UK domiciliary care agencies are starting to recognise that involving and communicating with families from the outset, can lead to better care outcomes, improved well-being and quality of life, and greater satisfaction for everyone involved.

Family members (or close friends) can provide valuable insights into their loved ones preferences, routines and medical history - all of which can be used to create a tailored, person-centred care plan that fits their needs.

Here, we explore the many benefits of getting families and friends involved in their loved ones care from the beginning.

Five Principles of Family-Centred Care

In July 2017, Skills for Health launched the Person-Centred Approaches framework which underpins existing dementia, learning disabilities, mental health and end of life core skills frameworks.

The framework identifies the basic competencies and behaviours for caregivers supporting people to stay engaged, healthy and in control of their own choices, focusing on these areas:

• Values.
• Core communication and relationship building skills.
• Step 1. Conversations to engage with people.
• Step 2. Conversations to enable and support people.
• Step 3. Conversations with people to collaboratively manage highest complexity and significant risk.
• Delivery of training, education and learning opportunities.
• ‘Enablers’ for embedding a person-centred approach.

With this framework in mind, family-centred care revolves around five key principles:

• Respect and Dignity: Recognising the unique needs, routines and preferences of every client and their family.
• Information Sharing: Keeping families fully informed about the care being provided, giving clear explanations and real-time updates.
• Participation: Encouraging active involvement from families at all stages of care planning and delivery.
• Collaboration: Working together across the board with families, healthcare professionals and clients to create a cohesive and holistic homecare experience.
• Empowerment: Equipping families with the tools, confidence and support they need to play an active part in their loved ones care.

Effective Communication: The Heart of Family Engagement

Effective communication is key in any healthcare setting but can especially contribute to excellent homecare. You could say, it’s the glue holding everything together.

Clear, empathetic communication between care providers, clients and families builds trust, reduces misunderstandings and helps agencies deliver patient-centred healthcare that genuinely meets individual needs.

Practical ways that homecare agencies can improve communication include:

• Regular updates via easy-to-use home care software that families can access 24/7, so everyone stays effortlessly in the loop.
• Scheduled meetings (in-person or virtually) for families to discuss their loved one's progress and any concerns.
• Training your caregivers in active listening and compassionate conversation techniques to make sure every interaction counts.

At TagCare, we believe tech like personalised care planning software should enhance (and definitely not replace) human connection.

Our highly rated Family & Friends App, for example, keeps families updated in real-time about their loved one’s care, allowing full transparency and peace of mind.

Simon from All About You Care Services, agrees with us: “There’s also the family and friends app – which has had excellent feedback from so many of our clients. The app lets family and friends stay in the loop with their loved one’s care, seeing their visits, what they’ve had to eat, the medication they’ve taken and general notes about how they’re feeling. It’s perfect when families don’t live nearby.”

Involving Families in Care Planning

Involving families from the outset with their loved ones care planning will create a more tailored and effective care plan.

Homecare agencies can take several practical steps to make family involvement a routine part of the service. For example, by offering:

1. Joint assessments: When agencies conduct initial assessments alongside family members, they gain invaluable insights that align care plans with the individual's lifestyle, preferences and specific medical needs.
2. Regular reviews: Family needs and circumstances often change. Regularly reviewing care plans alongside families means any necessary tweaks are both timely and relevant.
3. Training and support: Agencies can empower families by educating them about caregiving tasks, health conditions and coping strategies, so they can feel more confident and capable when carers are not around.

These steps will not only enhance overall care quality but also help families feel genuinely valued and respected as vital partners in the caregiving process.

Benefits of Family Engagement: Improved Care Quality and Compliance

The advantages of prioritising family engagement are tangible, both in terms of care quality and meeting compliance standards like those from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Proactive family involvement can make a huge impact contributing to:

• Enhanced patient safety and wellbeing: Families could pick up on and notice subtle changes earlier, meaning quicker responses and better outcomes all round.
• Increased transparency and accountability: Open, ongoing dialogue and involvement can lead to greater trust and transparency between homecare agencies, carers, families and friends.
• Better CQC compliance: Regular, meaningful family engagement aligns with the CQC’s five standards on person-centred care, resulting in better inspection ratings.

Ultimately, homecare agencies who fully embrace family-centred care will soon see tangible improvements, not only in client outcomes, but also in their own reputation and CQC inspection success.

Strengthening Family Engagement in your Home Care Agency

Genuinely engaging and involving families from the outset has to be a no-brainer for modern home care services. Domiciliary care providers can significantly enhance their services by embracing an inclusive, person-centred approach.

If your agency wants to adopt or improve on family-centred homecare, TagCare can help.

For the last 25 years, our innovative home care software solutions, including our popular, user-friendly Family & Friends App, have been specifically designed to encourage better communication, easier collaboration and truly personalised care planning.

Get in touch with TagCare today for a free demo and find out how our all-in-one dedicated solution can support your homecare agency to provide effective family-centred care.