Family meetings, care conferences, and visitor exceptions

Best first step: Ask the assigned nurse, social worker, case manager, or care team whether a family meeting, care conference, or visitor exception is appropriate for the current plan.

• Family meetings and care conferences are used to coordinate care, discharge planning, medication planning, safety planning, and support-person involvement.
• Visitor exceptions may be considered when the usual visitor rules do not meet a patient’s care, communication, disability, safety, or discharge-planning needs.
• The patient’s permission is usually needed before Brookhaven can share information with family or support people.
• Brookhaven may still need to speak with the patient privately before or after a meeting.
• Visitor exceptions can be limited by observation level, unit safety, privacy, infection-control needs, staffing, and patient preference.
• Use unit staff, not a portal ticket, for urgent or same-day safety concerns.

Term	What it usually means
Family meeting	A planned conversation with the patient, approved family or support people, and Brookhaven staff about care needs, support, or discharge planning.
Care conference	A more structured meeting with members of the care team to review treatment goals, safety concerns, discharge readiness, medication planning, or complex care needs.
Visitor exception	A request for a visitor arrangement outside the usual visitor rules, such as timing, support-person presence, caregiver support, communication needs, or discharge coordination.
Support-person planning	A discussion about who can help after discharge, what information can be shared, and what role the support person may have in the plan.

• The patient wants a family member or support person involved in planning.
• A support person will help with transportation, housing, medication pickup, follow-up appointments, or safety planning.
• There are questions about discharge timing or discharge readiness.
• The medication plan changed and a support person will help after discharge.
• The patient is a child, dependent, or has a legal representative involved.
• The care team needs to explain visitor rules, privacy limits, or support-person boundaries.
• There are concerns about home safety, communication, mobility, accessibility, or care coordination.

Exception type	What Brookhaven may review
Different visiting time	Whether the requested time is needed for discharge planning, transportation, caregiving, or another care-related reason.
Support person presence	Whether the support person helps with communication, disability support, anxiety reduction, discharge planning, or safety planning.
Caregiver or legal representative access	Whether documentation, guardianship, power of attorney, or patient authorization is needed.
Child, dependent, or vulnerable-patient support	Whether age, dependent status, safety needs, or communication needs support an exception.
Limited visitor restriction review	Whether a visitor limit can be adjusted without affecting patient privacy, safety, observation, or unit operations.

• The patient, when clinically appropriate and willing to participate.
• Approved family members, caregivers, guardians, or support people.
• The assigned nurse, social worker, case manager, therapist, prescriber, or other care-team member.
• A legal representative, rights representative, or patient advocate when needed.
• An interpreter, accessibility support person, or communication support person when needed.
• A discharge-planning or community-care contact when the patient authorizes involvement and the care team approves.

Important: A visitor exception does not automatically give that visitor access to all Brookhaven information, medications, records, notes, or discharge details.

1. Ask the assigned nurse, social worker, or case manager whether a family meeting or care conference is appropriate.
2. Explain who should attend and why their involvement supports care or discharge planning.
3. Confirm whether the patient agrees to the meeting and what information may be shared.
4. Ask whether the meeting should happen in person, by phone, by video, or during a scheduled care-team update.
5. Ask whether any visitor exception, identity verification, legal documentation, or release form is needed.
6. Ask when the care team can review the request and who will confirm the decision.

• Write down the main questions before the meeting.
• Confirm who is attending and how they will join.
• Bring medication lists, discharge questions, transportation concerns, or follow-up appointment needs.
• Ask whether the patient wants the support person present for the full meeting or only part of it.
• Ask what information Brookhaven can and cannot share.
• Ask who will document the next steps.

Topic	What may be discussed
Current care plan	Treatment goals, daily structure, observation, groups, unit expectations, and safety supports.
Medication planning	Medication changes, pickup needs, side effects to watch for, and who manages refills after discharge.
Discharge planning	Transportation, follow-up appointments, home safety, support-person role, and crisis instructions.
Visitor access	Visitor hours, exceptions, restricted visitors, approved support people, and unit rules.
Privacy boundaries	What the patient wants shared, what cannot be shared, and who may receive future updates.

• Confirm the next care step.
• Confirm any visitor exception decision and expiration date.
• Confirm what the support person is responsible for.
• Confirm medication pickup, transportation, follow-up appointments, or safety-plan steps.
• Ask who to contact if the plan changes.
• Ask whether the plan will appear in discharge instructions, portal notes, or a printed summary.

Ask what alternative is available. A declined visitor exception may still allow a phone update, scheduled call, written discharge instructions, approved visitor time, or a future care conference.

Do not wait for a portal reply if the concern affects immediate safety, discharge timing today, medication access today, transportation today, or whether the patient can safely leave or stay on the unit.

• If the patient is on the unit, ask the assigned nurse, nurses’ station, social worker, case manager, or nearest staff member.
• If the visitor exception is needed the same day, call the unit or ask Reception how to reach the unit desk.
• If the patient feels unsafe, tell staff immediately.
• If the patient is not on campus and there is immediate danger, use emergency services.