You are a home health nurse completing the initial care plan for a patient with stage 3 Alzheimer's ...

A, B, D, F
The initial care plan should incorporate the experiences and preferences of the caregivers and the patient (to gain their support and avoid repeating approaches that have been unsuccessful or unimportant in the past). It should also build on and be consistent with the patient's usual patterns of behavior (where feasible). Another important element to include in planning care is what expectations might be realistic for a particular patient's circumstances, including the knowledge and skill levels of his caregiver(s). Although structured assessment rating scales can be useful, they are not necessarily critical for the initial care plan and may not provide as much practical guidance as the experiences of the patient's caregivers. Caregiver burnout is always a concern, so information about their coping status and access to respite is important but not usually essential for the initial care plan.