Providing opportunity for family to be involved in decision making about care not only enhances shared understanding to ensure the best possible care plan but can also improve family satisfaction with care in and of its own right.

Family members often bring diverse opinions and have varied needs in regard to communication and level of willingness to be involved in case conferencing. Families may not fully understand the purpose of a case conference or what their role will be. Some may be reluctant to attend without persuasion of the benefits for themselves and the person with dementia.

The following frequently asked questions (FAQs) (283kb pdf) may also be useful to give to families. These FAQs are intended for use with the form for collecting family consent and agenda items (150kb pdf) as part of the process of preparing families for what to expect at a case conference and ensuring the family and carers concerns are addressed.

See the following for advice on ‘managing conflict’ between family members when conducting a case conference.

Last updated 10 December 2015