Explore our tip sheets for guidance on creating a culture of preference based care. Tip sheets address a spectrum of everyday practice issues–from how to get started with preference assessment to interviewing techniques, working with family and staff proxies, designing effective care plans and more. Most tip sheets have a companion pre-recorded webinar that can be viewed on demand. Thanks to generous grant funding, all resources are available for download at no cost.

Interview Tips

This tip sheet provides training “basics” for staff and volunteers who will conduct PELI preference interviews. Learn how to set up and begin interviews, record answers, and offer prompts to encourage full responses. Preference interviews are a chance to get to know individuals better and build meaningful relationships that improve quality of life and quality of care.

Interview Tips

Working with Proxies

When an older adult is unable to respond to PELI questions due to cognitive or communication limitations, a proxy – a family member or friend who knows the individual well – can help. This tip sheet discusses how to identify, reach out to and collect information from a proxy. Also, learn what to do if a family member or friend is not available to assist with preference assessment.

Working with Proxies

Helping Staff Engage

This tip sheet recommends strategies to build staff commitment in learning about individual preferences, encourage team communication — and most importantly, how to use preference information to enhance each older adult’s daily life. Also, find answers to common staff questions about preference based care.

Helping Staff Engage

Ensuring Resident Choice

What steps are important to build an organizational culture that prioritizes and honors older adults’ preferences and choices? This tip sheet recommends methods to incorporate resident choices in care plans, address obstacles to individual choice, and involve resident councils, families and care team members in honoring preferences and personalizing care.

Ensuring Resident Choice

Top Preferences Across LTSS Settings

What are the top preferences of older adults receiving long-term services and supports? Do preferences differ by care setting? The answers to these questions provide a starting point to enhance person-centered care.

Top Preferences Across LTSS Settings

Integrating Preferences into Care Plans

This tip sheet walks care team members through the steps to create strengths based care plans to honor preferences and dignity. Topics include: involving direct care workers in care planning, tailoring activities, case scenarios and staying alert to change.

Integrating Preferences into Care Plans

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

This tip sheet introduces a version of the PELI that your organization can adopt to raise awareness and address the unmet needs of LGBTQ+ older adults. Learn how to educate staff about inclusion and cultural sensitivity, as well as ways to implement the Rainbow PELI.

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Social Preferences

Preference assessment and care planning processes should highlight social preferences in order to prevent loneliness and encourage friendships and connection. This tip sheet explores common barriers to meeting preferences for social contact, reasons why social preferences shift, and ways to nurture social connections.

Social Preferences

Using the PELI in Short Stay Settings

In short-term settings, time is compressed and treatment schedules are busy. Yet, it is important to learn about and honor preferences to maximize recovery. This tip sheet presents strategies to conduct timely preference interviews that promote a person’s wellbeing and satisfaction with care.

Using the PELI in Short Stay Settings

Overview: Using the PELI for Your Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) Program

Nursing homes are required to implement Quality Assurance Performance Improvement (QAPI) programs that lead to better quality of care and quality of life for residents. This tip sheet outlines how to use the Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory (PELI) assessment tool as the basis for a QAPI project to promote person-centered care.

Overview: Using the PELI for Your Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) Program

Getting Started: PELI Performance Improvement Project (PELI-PIP)

Once you’ve decided to focus on preferences assessment and services as part of your community’s QAPI program, make sure you have ingredients in place for success. This tip sheet walks through the initial steps: assure that you have top management support, establish a PELI-PIP committee, and introduce concepts of preference assessment and fulfillment to everyone involved.

Getting Started: PELI Performance Improvement Project (PELI-PIP)