Five Tips for Handling the Nuts and Bolts of Family Meetings

The more effective you become at holding family meetings, the more you’ll accomplish with them. Family meetings are important because you can update multiple people at once as to what is happening with your senior while also getting the help that you and she need.

Home Health Care in Centreville VA: Handling Family Meetings

Plan out What You Need to Say

When you don’t know what you need to cover, you’re far more likely to get derailed during the meeting. Sit down and write out a basic plan for what you need and want to cover. Take a look at those bullet points and determine what your family members most need to know about them. For instance, if one of your bullet points is about hiring home care providers, you might want to let them know how they can benefit you and your aging adult the most. Other details may also be helpful, but try to focus on benefits.

Consider What Technology Might Help

Sometimes you might have family members who want to be there and who want to help out, but they can’t for one reason or another. Using video calling apps, such as Skype or FaceTime, might be helpful. Recording the meeting for family members to listen to later can also be helpful, especially if you answered a lot of questions for family members.

Make an Effort to Hear from Everyone

Some family members might feel less comfortable than others do in sharing their thoughts and feelings about what you’ve covered in the meeting. It can help to give everyone a chance to ask questions or make comments in a group, but also leave some time for family members to approach you individually afterward.

You Don’t Have to Solve Every Problem in the Meeting

You might bring up some issues and problems during the meeting that can’t be solved right now. That needs to be okay because you can’t always solve everything in a set time period. You might need to do some more research or perhaps family members offer to research and get back to you. The more help that you can get from family members in between meetings, the more useful the meetings can grow to be.

Recap at the End of the Meeting

At the end of the meeting, do a quick recap of what you covered. If specific family members volunteered to perform certain tasks, recap that as well. This helps to ensure that everyone involved in the meeting has an idea where you left off with each line item.

You also want to be consistent with holding meetings. When you can do that, you naturally become better and better at leading these meetings.

Are you or a loved-one considering Home Health Care in Centreville, VA?  Please call the caring staff at Medical Professionals On Call today. Contact: 703-273-8818

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Michelle DeFilippis

I graduated with a BS degree and had been selling medical equipment to hospitals, clinics and technicians. More recently, a family member was diagnosed with dementia and we, as a family, realized we were not prepared t care for her. We were thrown into that whirlpool of hospital stays, 24/7 live-in care, skilled care, caring for mom ourselves and finally, now daily home care. This was such a stressful time that I started thinking there had to be other people, other families as overwhelmed and unprepared as we were.

Medical Professionals On Call has such a caring, professional staff who are available to step in with whatever level of care necessary for loved ones and to relieve you of that stress.

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