“The care plan is only as valuable as the information you put into it.” — Amanda Lukoff

Are you prepared for others to take care of your loved one? Do you have a care plan in place? Having a comprehensive care plan is one of the most important tools a caregiver can create — not just for emergencies, but for everyday peace of mind.

We are Sue Ryan and Nancy Treaster. As caregivers for our loved ones with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, we’ve learned the importance of creating a care plan for our loved one. We spoke with Amanda Lukoff, co-founder and CEO of Eleplan, about what a care plan is and how to create one that works for your unique situation.

Amanda’s journey to creating Eleplan was deeply personal. Her brother Liam, who has autism, is her “North Star” and the inspiration behind her career path – including going to law school for special education law. Through observing her parents’ caregiving journey with Liam, Amanda recognized the need to capture all the knowledge that lived in her parents’ heads so that others could provide care that truly honored who Liam is as a person.

Let’s explore the five essential tips for creating an effective care plan that Amanda shared during our conversation.

Tip 1: Start with the Basics

The first step in creating a care plan is to document the essential information that would allow someone to provide short-term care (even for just 30 minutes) while you step out.

This includes:

• Emergency contacts
• Medications and dosages
• High-level meal preferences
• Allergies
• Relevant medical conditions.

These basics create the foundation that allows you to have moments of respite, knowing your loved one will be properly cared for in your absence.

Tip 2: Outline Preferences and Daily Routines

Beyond the basics, it’s important for a good care plan to capture what makes your loved one unique — their preferences, personality traits, and daily routines.

As Amanda explains about her brother: “Liam is more than his autism. I want people to know that he loves Weird Al, Saturday Night Live, Stephen King, and hates hiccups and tattoos.”

Your care plan should include:

• Likes and dislikes
• Daily schedule and routines
• Bedtime and morning rituals
• Behavioral patterns
• Emotional triggers (both positive and negative).

Sue shared how music triggered very different responses in her husband after his diagnosis:

If they played Danny Boy, he would immediately break out in uncontrollable sobs… However, if you played When Irish Eyes Are Smiling or Take Me Out to the Ball Game, he was fine, he was happy.

While these details may seem small, they’re crucial for maintaining your loved one’s comfort and emotional well-being.

Tip 3: Document What to Do in an Emergency

Crisis situations demand clear instructions. Your care plan should outline:

• What constitutes an emergency for your loved one
• When to call 911 vs. other resources
• Who to contact and in what order
• Special instructions for EMTs or ER staff
• Location of important medical documents.

Nancy shared a powerful story about learning this lesson the hard way when her mother-in-law fell at 2 AM, requiring hospitalization, while her father-in-law with dementia couldn’t be left alone. The crisis revealed gaps in their emergency planning and led to a middle-of-the-night scramble to arrange care.

I came home and said, ‘My goodness, I thought we were in good shape, but we’re not.’ So I created a care plan for my mother-in-law, a care plan for my father-in-law, a care plan for my husband, a care plan for my mother… Everybody gets a care plan!

Tip 4: Collect Key Contacts and Documents

Gathering important documents in one accessible location and making sure the members of your care team know where they are is critical for seamless care. This includes:

• Insurance cards
• Healthcare directives
• Power of Attorney documents
• Guardianship forms
• Medical history and medication lists.

Amanda shared a personal story about being home when her brother had a crisis requiring hospitalization. From the ambulance, her mother was frantically directing Amanda to find documents scattered throughout the house — guardianship papers in a pink folder by the phone, medication lists in a yellow folder in the desk drawer, and recent prescription information in a bin in the pantry.

The experience highlighted how important it is to have all critical information centralized and accessible, especially during emergencies when stress is high and time is short.

Tip 5: Keep Everything Accessible and Current

A care plan is only effective if it’s up-to-date and easily accessible. Amanda frames this with an important question:

“Do I have a system that is as dynamic as the needs of my loved one and the ever-changing piles of documents and information?”

Whether you’re using a physical binder, shared digital documents, or a specialized platform like Eleplan, the key is having a system that makes updates easy and ensures the information is available whenever and wherever it’s needed.

Just Start

The most important takeaway from the conversation was Amanda’s encouraging final advice:

If all you do today is write down three things — if you write down an emergency contact or ‘don’t play Danny Boy for dad’ or ‘no tattoos for Liam’ — whatever it is, you’ve done a great job. You have to start somewhere.

Creating a care plan might feel overwhelming, but beginning with small steps can make a significant difference in your caregiving journey. As Sue and Nancy remind us: “We’re all on this journey together,” and having a care plan supports not only your loved one but also you and your entire care team.

Have you created a care plan for your loved one? What tips would you add? Share your experiences in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages.

To learn more about Eleplan, visit www.eleplan.com or contact Amanda directly at [email protected].

Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.