Quality of Life of the older client and important to the involved family caregivers. The care manager can assist families by beginning the dialogue to open discussions on preferences and values of the older client and the family. What would give the older person joy in their life? Would it be art, going to baseball games, being in a knitting group, having a tea for friends at their home with the help of a caregiver?
Quality of Life issues that the care manager should assess are: the individual’s need for social interaction or privacy; value of family; proximity to cultural stimulation; and adaptability to change. These are just some of the many quality of life considerations.
When values and preferences differ between individuals,in the family, it is important to identify how the differences may impact all involved in the process. What if the older person wants an electric scooter so she can shop at Safeway, the store she has used since she was a young mother and wife? At the same time what if the adult son or daughter will only shop at organic, health food markets and wants her mother to shop there. On top of that the daughter feels the electric scooter is unsafe and the aging mother feels she is safe. How do you solve this quality of life dilemma?