Put the whole plan in one place, before a crisis forces the conversation.
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When someone you love needs care, the details pile up fast. Doctors, pills, bills, rides, forms. Who is doing what? Where are the papers? What would Mom want?
A care plan answers those questions in writing. It keeps everyone on the same page, and it helps you act fast when something changes. This page covers what to put in a plan, how to talk about it as a family, and how we can help you build one.
A care plan is a written guide to one person's care. It lists their health needs, daily routines, the people who help, and the choices they have made about their own care. It also says what to do in an emergency.
The paper is only half of it. The other half is the conversation. Making a plan gets your family talking about wishes, roles, and money before a hospital stay makes those talks harder.
You can write a care plan on your own, and the rest of this page shows you how. A Care Map is the plan we build with you. Here is how they differ.
| How they compare | A care plan you write | An Ellipses Care Map |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds it | You and your family | You and an Ellipses care coordinator |
| Where it starts | A blank page or a template | The Domain Assessment: we go through all nine areas with you and score each one |
| What it shows | What you think to write down | How complex things are, and where help is needed most |
| What comes first | You decide | What matters most right now, and your top three priorities |
| People | You list them | Your support network, and who to call |
| Resources | You search for them | Resources matched to your needs, sorted by type |
| Next steps | Open-ended | Interactive checklists for this week, this month, and the next 3 months, checked off with your care coordinator |
| Where it lives | Paper or a shared file | Your secure client portal, open anytime |
| Keeping it current | Up to your family | On a monthly plan, we re-evaluate your Domain Assessment and Care Map every 90 days |
Both beat having no plan. Many families start with their own, then call us when things get harder.
A plan helps any family that is:
Caring for an aging parent
Living with a long-term condition like Parkinson's, MS, ALS, or dementia
Recovering from a serious injury, such as a brain injury
Facing a serious or terminal illness
Sharing care among several people, or caring from far away
You do not need a diagnosis to start. Many adults make a plan for themselves while they can still say what they want.
A good plan covers the whole person, not just the medical side. When we work with a family, we look at nine areas in our Domain Assessment. These areas are built on the social determinants of health: the everyday conditions, like money, home, and support from others, that shape health and well-being. They also make a good checklist for your own plan.
Diagnoses, doctors and their phone numbers, current medicines, allergies, upcoming visits
Help needed with meals, bathing, dressing, getting around, and rides
Changes you have noticed, and what helps on hard days
Mood, stress, and any counselor or support group
Who helps, how often, and who fills in when the main caregiver needs a break
Insurance cards, benefits, who pays which bills, and where accounts are
Which legal papers exist, where they are kept, and who can make decisions
Fall risks, grab bars, lighting, and smoke alarms
Friends, faith groups, hobbies, and outings that keep life full
Most care plans point to four kinds of legal papers. The names and rules vary by state.
Names someone to handle money and legal matters if the person cannot.
Names someone to make medical choices if the person cannot speak for themselves.
Writes down the person's wishes about treatment near the end of life.
Lets doctors share health information with the people it names.
A plan only works if the family uses it. A few habits help:
It is their life and their plan. Ask what matters most to them, and write it down in their words.
"We'll all pitch in" often means one person ends up doing it all. Write down each task and who owns it.
A short monthly call keeps everyone current and catches problems early.
Keep the plan where everyone can find it, on paper and online.
Look over the plan at least once a year. Update it sooner after:
A new diagnosis or a hospital stay
A change in medicines
A move
A change in who is giving care
Making a plan takes time, hard talks, and a lot of phone calls. That is the work we do with families: from overwhelmed to organized.
Tell us what is going on, by phone or video.
In your first session, we go through all nine areas with you.
You get a written plan that shows what is in place, what is missing, and what to do next. It has interactive checklists for what to do this week, this month, and over the next 3 months. You and your care coordinator check items off together.
Then you choose how much help you want:
A one-time Domain Assessment and written Care Map. Your family carries it out.
Monthly check-ins and research to help you carry out your Care Map.
A coordinator works with your providers, handles scheduling, and meets with you monthly. Comprehensive Care Management adds crisis planning and works with your attorney.
Free guides for talking with family about care wishes.
Visit The Conversation ProjectPlain-language guides to advance care planning, from the National Alliance for Care at Home.
Visit CaringInfoFinds your local Area Agency on Aging for caregiver help. Call 1-800-677-1116.
Visit Eldercare LocatorA written guide to one person's care. It covers health, daily needs, who helps, money, legal papers, and what to do in an emergency.
For the legal papers, an attorney is the right person. Your family can write the rest of the plan. We can help you see what is missing and find the right kind of attorney.
At least once a year, and any time health, medicines, living situation, or caregivers change.
Yes. It is a 15-minute call by phone or video, at no cost and with no obligation.
More ways we support families and caregivers.
You do not have to figure this out alone. Start with a free 15-minute call, and we will help you take the first step.
Book a free 15-minute callOr call (984) 362-8904
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