Connecting at Christmas
As Christmas and the holiday season approach, for many, thoughts turn and plans are made for time with families, sharing meals and games, exchanging gifts and enjoying some down time together.
For people who need care support, often in a residential setting, and their loved ones, the season can also be a difficult time. Living apart from loved ones due to health conditions, ageing or disability can often be the safest and most appropriate solution for many people. But being separated from family can feel particularly challenging at this time of year.
Access to reliable, up-to-date information about loved ones can help families feel connected to and involved in the care of their family member, even if they can’t be with them in person.
This is where the family portal functionality, available through digital social care record solutions (DSCRs) can play a vital role. Integrated into a care provider’s DSCR solution, the family portal is a secure, centralised hub which families can access anytime and anywhere. It allows named users to check in on everything from condition updates and medication to more general information like activities they have taken part in, or their overall mood and wellbeing on any day. It can also offer ways for loved ones to advise or make decisions about someone’s care, ensuring they have all the information available to them, often in a way that a phone call, or even a visit cannot offer alone.
Care teams can update care plans and records in real time so that family members have up-to-date information, without the need to phone care teams, to help them decide when best to visit or to make a call.
Families too can make requests and suggestions via the portal, for example advice on dietary preferences or requirements, particularly when special seasonal menus are likely to be offered.
With shift patterns often changing over the holiday, by logging in to the portal, families can even see who is looking after their loved one on any given day.
Care providers have found the family portal helpful during the holiday season, when visits and phone calls often increase. Many have said this additional function has helped boost transparency and build relationships between care teams and the families of people they are supporting.
And for those who are away travelling over the Christmas period, having access to the family portal means they can stay up to date on their loved one’s care at any time of the day or night, offering peace of mind and a sense of connection.