Caregiver planning resources

Keep clinic dates, transport, questions to ask and outcomes in one place so no follow-up is missed.

Set out consent, routines, task ownership, professional instructions and escalation in one person-centred plan.

Record what you observe on a care visit — tasks done, concerns and follow-ups — to keep quality visible.

Pass the routine, risks, contacts and professional instructions cleanly between shifts or caregivers.

The questions to ask a prospective caregiver about experience, references, duties and boundaries — with the red flags to watch for.

Weigh home care against a care home for your situation using cost, safety, supervision and family capacity.

Record meals, mobility, mood, medication reminders and incidents each day so changes are easy to notice and hand over.

Check exits, wandering risks, kitchen and bathroom safety and orientation cues for a home supporting someone with dementia.

Map an older parent's daily tasks, risks and support gaps so you can describe the care actually needed before contacting anyone.

Walk through each room to catch trip hazards, lighting, bathroom and mobility risks before a fall makes them obvious.

Keep key contacts, conditions, medications and home-access details ready on one page for an emergency.

Record what happened before, during and after a fall so patterns are visible and the doctor gets a clear account.

Divide caregiving hours and tasks across family members so cover is clear and no one is quietly overloaded.

Log meals, fluids and appetite changes to spot poor intake or dehydration before it becomes urgent.

Estimate monthly home-care costs by shift length, hours and add-ons, so budget conversations start from realistic figures.

Capture discharge instructions, equipment, medication and follow-ups so the first days at home are prepared, not improvised.

Lay out what to give and when as reminders only, keeping medication decisions with the doctor or pharmacist.

Note waking, restlessness and night needs to tell whether the night calls for occasional help or awake cover.

Organise mobility, communication, medication and follow-up needs for the weeks after a stroke, guided by the discharge plan.

Track toileting patterns and changes discreetly, so continence issues can be described accurately to a professional.