To help maintain positive relations between your companion care company, client and their families, communication from caregivers is key.
Though caregivers have a multitude of daily tasks, from supporting clients’ daily hygiene needs to cooking meals and running errands, family communication can be a crucial responsibility.
Read on to learn actionable client family communication tips you and your caregivers can implement.
Client Family Communication Tips for Caregivers
Your caregivers care deeply about their clients but communicating effectively and efficiently with clients’ families can be a challenge. Share these tips to help your caregivers communicate more easily.
- Outline expectations. Encourage your clients’ families to communicate in your preferred communication channel. Set boundaries for level and frequency of communication—what information you will share, how you will share it and when.
- Instill trust. As you get to know your clients and their families, trust will come naturally, but there are steps you can take to expedite the process. Follow up with communication as promised. Provide clear, friendly updates, and show your genuine care for your client. Always be respectful to the client and their families and actively listen to their concerns.
- Consider technology. Like you can improve seniors’ lives with technology, you can also improve communication with their families using technology. Consider video calls, virtual care logs and texting.
- Ask for feedback. As time progresses, check in with your clients and their families to see if they’re satisfied with the communication frequency and amount of information relayed. Adapt to their preferences, if possible.
Client Family Communication Tips for Companion Care Business Owners
While daily communication with clients’ families will mostly route through your caregivers, you can still support frequent and healthy client family communication.
- Assess current communications. What are your caregivers already doing well? Is there additional support they need surrounding family communications? What more do your clients and their families want?
- Create clear company policies. Outline policies for your staff and clients in regard to appropriate topics of discussion, preferred communication channels and boundaries for your caregivers. Consider requesting one point of contact from the clients’ families to simplify communication for your caregivers.
- Review policies and effectiveness. From time to time, check in on how family communications are going. Spot check with a variety of caregivers and clients’ families. Review any new technologies that could improve communication between your caregivers and their clients.
Support from Lockton Affinity Home Care
Client trust is crucial to your business, and it is for ours too.
To earn your trust, we work to support companion caregiver businesses by offering a robust library of risk management resources and tailored, comprehensive insurance coverage to protect your business. Plus, our team has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, so we’re available to talk through your business risks, insurance needs and more.
