Families usually hire for the hardest job and assume the rest will fall to whoever is left. That is how a plan breaks. Write every household task on one page, then label each line family, hired, or dropped.
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What counts as a task
Driving to outings and errands, laundry, meals, housekeeping, daytime company, letters and phone calls, yard work, and the trip to the bank. Include the small jobs too, such as taking out the trash and changing the bedding. Small jobs that go missing are often the reason the big plan fails.
What stays with the family
Tasks that need a relative's judgment, tasks a relative already enjoys, and tasks that need no skill beyond the trust you already have. Keep this list short. A family that takes on too much tends to hire out in a panic later.
What goes to a hired helper
Tasks that happen on a fixed schedule, tasks that need a person in the house while the family is at work, and tasks you do not want to supervise yourself. Ask the agency which of these it covers. Some agencies list a set of household tasks and refuse others, so get the list in writing.
What gets dropped
Anything that no one can do and nothing depends on. Dropping a task is a real decision, so write it down with the reason and the name of the person who agreed to it.
Questions to ask yourself
- Which tasks does the person being cared for mind most?
- Which tasks does a relative already do without thinking?
- Who covers the hired list when a family member is away?
Once the labels are set, compare the hired side against the agency's written scope before you commit. Hours that do not cover the hired list will leave gaps that you end up filling yourself.