The Supply Shelf Runs Dry Mid-Shift: Name Who Restocks the Shared Stock Before the Aide Arrives

Shared stock is the plain stuff in a house: cleaning cloths, trash bags, paper towels, dish soap, laundry detergent, and the basics for the kitchen. Nobody plans for it. Then the cloth drawer is empty at the start of a visit. These are the questions to settle before the first shift.

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Q: Who buys the shared stock?

Choose one of three answers: you buy it, the agency supplies it, or the aide buys it and you reimburse them. Each one can work. None works without a rule written down. If the agency says the aide will buy it, ask for the rule in writing: what gets bought, what gets kept, and how the aide is paid back. Do not let an aide spend their own money on your house without a written rule.

Q: Where is it kept?

Name the shelf, cabinet, or bin. Walk the aide to it on the first visit. Add the spot to the house notes so a replacement aide can find it without calling you. An aide who cannot find the stock is losing time you have already booked.

Q: Who tells someone when it runs low?

Name one person. It might be you, the aide, or the agency office. Write that name on the stock shelf or the fridge. A low-stock note that goes nowhere is the same as no note.

Q: Does restocking belong to the visit?

Ask the agency directly. Some visits include a quick restock, some do not, and some include it only when a shopping trip is needed. Get the answer in writing. A visit that includes shopping runs longer than one that does not, and you are the one who sees the difference on the statement.

Q: What if the agency says nothing about supplies?

Record that silence as a finding. An agency that talks plainly about the stock will answer the question on the first call. One that does not is leaving the job of supplies to you, and that is worth knowing before you sign.

Q: How do you check that it works?

Look at the shelf at the end of the first week of visits, and again whenever the schedule changes. Count the basics. If the stock runs empty twice, the rule is not working. Ask the agency to fix the rule, not the shelf.