A home care visit works when the person arriving already knows the house. The binder is how they learn it without guessing. You build it once, in order, test it, then keep it current.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Build it in this order

  1. Entry. Doors, locks, alarm steps, and where the spare key lives. Name the person who holds each one.
  2. Contacts. Family members, neighbors with a key, the building or landlord office, and the agency office with its after-hours path.
  3. A usual day. What a normal morning looks like, what a normal evening looks like, and who is usually home.
  4. Preferences and habits. What the person likes to eat, read, or watch. Which chair, which window, which side of the bed.
  5. House systems. Thermostat, water shutoff, fuse box, trash and recycling day, and mail.
  6. Animals, plants, and deliveries. Who feeds the animal, who waters the plants, and who signs for packages.
  7. Emergencies. Put this on the first page. Call emergency services when someone is in danger, and let the danger come before any other step.
  8. What stays out of the binder. Health questions go to the family's doctor. Memory changes go to the family first, then to the doctor. Keep the binder about the house and the routine.

Test it before the first shift

Have one family member read the binder aloud, start to finish. Then ask them to find three things: the door to use, the trash day, and the after-hours number. If they cannot find one in a minute, the page needs work.

Keep it current

Every change to the routine goes into the binder the same day it happens. Put a line on the front page with the last change and who made it. That is a simple change log, and it is the fastest way to stop two people working from two different routines.

Where the copies live

Keep one paper copy in the house, in a drawer everyone knows. Keep one copy with the family. Give the agency only the pages the work needs. Do not post home details to a group chat.

Local help in general terms

If you do not know who to call for local support, start with your county's senior services office or the area agency on aging. Ask them what public help exists for home visits and what paperwork they need from you.