Care planning tools and templates
Customisable templates, checklists, and examples to help you create person-centred care plans that promote wellness and reablement approaches.
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Are you looking for practical tools to support your care planning process? You’re in the right place. This page offers a complete set of downloadable resources to guide you through the care planning process and create care plans that:
- Are tailored to your client’s individual needs
- Consider your client’s values and experiences
- Prioritise your client’s goals
- Align with requirements from the Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC)
Before getting started, we recommend reviewing our Care planning fundamentals page. This will help you understand the basics of care planning and get the most out of these resources.
These resources are organised to match the step-by-step sequence of the care planning process, and you can adjust them to suit your needs.
They also help you embed wellness and reablement principles, empowering you to focus on what your client can do and what they want to do, not what they can’t.
Ready to transform your care planning? Let’s get started!
Disclaimer: This guide focuses specifically on wellness and reablement aspects of care planning, not the entire care planning process including financial or administrative requirements.
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How can these resources help me?
The resources on this page can support your organisation in achieving wellness and reablement outcomes aligned with these 3 Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards (hereby referred to as the Quality Standards):
- Standard 1: The Person
- Standard 2: The Organisation
- Standard 3: The Care and Services
It’s important to note that DoHAC doesn’t provide a specific care planning template. Instead, they offer guidance through their Care Planning Checklist.
That’s why we’ve developed these resources – to help you create comprehensive care plans that align with the Quality Standards and best practices in wellness and reablement.
All organisations are at different stages of meeting the Quality Standards. To use these resources effectively, consider which statement best describes your situation:
- Our organisation has an established care planning template and/or process. However, we would like to review it to identify potential opportunities for improvement.
- My organisation does not have a comprehensive care planning template and/or process. We need resources and guidance to improve our outcomes against the Quality Standards.
If you chose the first option:
- Use the Care Planning Checklist from DoHAC to see if your processes are meeting minimum requirements.
- Review the Keep Able templates and checklists for content and resources that could enhance your organisation’s existing processes.
- If you identify opportunities for improvement, don’t forget to make a Plan for Continuous Improvement.
If you chose the second option, you’re in the right place! Our resources include:
- Forms that guide you through the entire care planning journey
- Templates that meet all compliance requirements
- Real-world examples to build your skills and confidence
How to use these forms
These forms are easy to customise for your organisation’s needs. Here’s how:
- Download the form you want to use.
- Open the file in Microsoft Word.
- To add your own logo, you can delete the existing Keep Able logo in the top-right corner and replace it with your own. To do this, click on the existing logo, delete it, then select ‘Insert’ from the menu and choose ‘Picture’ to upload your logo. If you prefer not to include a logo, you can leave this area blank or remove it completely.
- Adjust the form to fit your needs. You can remove sections that aren’t relevant to you or add new ones.
- Save your changes.
- Start planning!
We’ve included specific instructions for each form in the descriptions below. If you need help, check out our Care planning fundamentals page for more guidance.
Important note
While we’re excited to provide these forms, please keep the following in mind:
- The versions available on our website are the originals.
- You can customise these templates to meet your organisation’s needs. For example, you can add logos or adjust them to match how your team works. Just remember, any changes you make are your responsibility.
- Make sure your final documents align with all relevant aged care regulations. If you make any changes, have your quality or clinical governance team review them. This helps ensure your documents still meet outcomes in the Quality Standards.
- While we’ve aligned these forms with current best practices, always check the latest guidelines from DoHAC. The aged care environment changes quickly. You might need to review your care planning processes as new developments arise.
Remember, these forms are intended as helpful tools for your care planning process, not strict rules. How you use them might vary based on:
- Your client’s unique situation
- Your organisation’s practices
- Current industry standards
Always rely on your professional judgement to make the best decisions for your clients.
Keep in mind: Our templates focus on wellness and reablement outcomes. They don’t cover the financial agreements between your organisation and the client. To address this:
- Follow your organisation’s policies and work practices
- You may need to add financial information to meet the requirements of the Quality Standards and Aged Care Act.
Our care planning forms
Now that you know how to get the most out of these forms, let’s explore each one in detail.
We’ve arranged them in the order you’re likely to use them:
- Client Self-Assessment Survey
- Care Planning Preparation Checklist
- Checking the Support Plan
- Care Planning Template
We also provide examples to show how these tools combine for effective wellness and reablement care planning:
Each description will give you a clear idea of the form’s purpose and how it fits into your workflow.
Client Self-Assessment Survey
Consider starting the care planning journey with our Client Self-Assessment Survey.
You can send it to your client before their care planning meeting to help them think about what’s going well in their life and where they’d like to improve. This form is also useful for:
- Showing your client how their support plan relates to their identified needs.
- Showing your client how their care plan will help them achieve their identified goals.
- Learning about what’s important to your client and building a rapport with them, even if they identify issues not reflected in the current support plan.
As well, the survey can prompt ideas about goals for the future, which may trigger a support plan review, and provide an avenue for tracking the client’s progress over time.
Download Client Self-Assessment Survey
Care Planning Preparation Checklist
This checklist enables you to gather essential information about your client ahead of your care planning meeting. This includes details about their:
- Support network
- Communication needs
- Special requirements for home visits
Much of this information can be found in your client’s assessment summary and support plan.
The checklist also includes reminders to send your client important documents, like the Client Self-Assessment Survey, before you meet. It sets the stage for discussions about wellness and reablement while showing that you’re organised.
Download Care Planning Preparation Checklist
Checking the Support Plan
Start your care planning meeting with confidence using our Checking the Support Plan form.
Completing this form with your client will help you:
- Confirm your client understands their support plan
- Check if the approved services match their expectations
- Note any concerns or comments from your client
- Decide if you need to request a support plan review
By using this checklist, you’ll create a solid foundation for a care plan that truly meets your client’s needs.
Download Checking the Support Plan
Care Planning Template
Record your client’s care journey with this ready-to-use Care Planning Template. This template helps you capture what matters most to your client, covering details like:
- Their personal details and preferences
- Their goals for independence
- The actions that will be taken to help them achieve these goals
- Who’s responsible for each action
- Specific timelines for completing each action
Together, you’ll map out clear steps to maintain or improve their independence.
This plan upholds the Quality Standards and requirements from DoHAC’s Care Planning Checklist. It keeps the focus on wellness and reablement while making sure you collect all the essential information.
Download Care Planning Template
Reablement Care Planning Examples
Do you need inspiration for writing SMARTA goals and action plans? This resource uses real-world examples to boost your reablement care planning skills.
Each example covers a different area of daily living, including:
- Dressing
- Laundry
- Housework
- Leisure activities
- Social activities
With each example, you’ll see how to set goals and choose the right reablement strategy to support your client’s independence. These strategies include:
- Building your client’s abilities
- Modifying tasks to make them achievable
- Recommending Assistive Technology (AT)
- Adapting their environment
- Providing useful information and resources
Learn how to create care plans that turn reablement ideas into actions.
Download Reablement Care Plan Examples
Wellness Care Plan Examples
When using the wellness approach, setting SMARTA goals can be more challenging. Unlike reablement care plans, which have specific end dates, wellness care plans are longer term or ongoing.
They focus on maintaining and improving the client’s independence over a longer period of time.
These examples will show you how to write a wellness care plan, including how to:
- Set goals for daily living where there may not be a specific end date
- Keep your clients engaged in daily activities like dressing and showering
- Identify opportunities for future improvements
These examples will help you adapt SMARTA goals for long-term care situations. Learn how to apply sustained, lower-intensity interventions to maintain and improve your client’s independence.
Download Wellness Care Plan Examples
Next Steps
These resources are just the start of your journey to better wellness and reablement outcomes.
Use them to build confidence in your care planning. Share them with your team to create a consistent approach to care planning in your organisation. And remember, we’re always here to support you in promoting your client’s independence.
Are you ready to dive deeper into care planning and reablement? Check out our free presentations or get in touch to discuss your team’s specific needs.
You can contact us at keepable@ilaustralia.org.au or by submitting the ‘Connect with Keep Able’ form below. We’d love to hear from you!
Sign up here for Count Me In membership to access our free resources and to connect with our team of professionals. You can leave a message, give us feedback, ask a question or request a presentation on reablement by submitting this form.
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