Caregiver’s Checklist: A Guide to Supporting your Aging Loved Ones

Checklist for Family Caregivers

Learn the top ways a family member taking care of an older adult can make use of a checklist. Apex Professional Care is here to guide you on what a checklist is all about and why it's important to use it.

What are the roles of a Caregiver?

A caregiver is someone who takes care of another person's health and well-being. Usually, this involves looking after older adults, like elderly parents, who might need help with things like daily tasks, recovering from an injury, dealing with a disease, handling mental health challenges, coping with disabilities, or facing various other issues.

Older people often rely on a primary caregiver because they can't manage on their own anymore and might have complicated problems. Caregivers typically help with everyday things such as shopping for groceries, cooking meals, and ensuring basic hygiene. Sometimes, they also assist with medical concerns or difficulties moving around, making it hard for the elderly person to do even simple tasks alone.

Caregivers are often family members, like adult children or relatives, who look after aging parents without pay. Sometimes, caregivers can also be hired from home care services or work as home health aides, paid by the senior they're caring for. Taking care of someone can be very stressful for caregivers, especially if the person they're looking after is severely disabled or has memory issues like Alzheimer's disease.

The toll of long-term caregiving, both physically and emotionally, is significant. Sometimes, our deep love for our family members can lead us to struggle in ways that might not be good for our own well-being. Before deciding to care for someone in your family's home, think about whether it's the best option. You might want to consider adult daycare services, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or memory care facilities, where trained professionals can take care of your loved one's needs.

Why utilize a daily checklist?

Embracing the role of a caregiver brings countless of responsibilities, making a checklist is a valuable asset for documenting crucial information. It serves as a reliable solution in ensuring that all necessary tasks and services for the person under care are duly completed each day. This checklist serves as a convenient reference point, encompassing caregiving duties and decision-making requirements.

The advantages of having a daily checklist are:

1. Task Management: Keeping track of daily responsibilities can be daunting, especially when the care recipient demands significant attention. A checklist provides structure akin to a to-do list, facilitating the orderly progression of tasks throughout the day.

   
   

2. Customization: Whether caring for one or multiple seniors, a checklist can be customized to accommodate the unique needs of each individual. Caregivers can easily adapt checklists to address the specific daily requirements of each senior in their care.

   
   

3. Organization: For tasks necessitating a specific sequence or timing, a checklist aids in maintaining order and ensures essential documents and papers remain organized.

   
   

4. Time Management: Caregivers often find themselves engrossed in providing care, leaving little time for personal needs. Utilizing a checklist can mitigate caregiving stress by streamlining daily tasks, thereby freeing up time for caregivers and reducing the risk of burnout.

   
   

Caregiver Responsibilities for Seniors:

Every day presents varying challenges when caring for a loved one, yet certain responsibilities remain constant. Here are key responsibilities caregivers may encounter:

• Assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) such as eating, bathing, grooming, ambulating, and toileting.

• Development of a care plan to address the senior's specific needs, determining caregiving goals, and managing care requirements.

• Provision of personal and physical care, including dressing, grooming, and assisting with mobility.

• Engagement in activities and exercises to stimulate cognitive function and physical well-being.

• Management of medication and medical needs, including tracking medication schedules and arranging medical appointments.

• Maintenance of household tasks, from cleaning to yard work, considering the possibility of transitioning to a senior community if necessary.

• Regular review of the care plan to accommodate any changes in the senior's condition and ensure all services are covered.

• Providing transportation for outings, medical appointments, and other activities.

• Offering companionship to combat loneliness and enhance the senior's quality of life.

  
  

Daily Caregiver Checklist:To ensure the comprehensive care of your loved one, a daily checklist offers a systematic approach to managing tasks. Customize this checklist to suit your loved one's needs and consider converting it into a worksheet for added convenience.

(Will create Checklist form for this and will attach on website)

• Ambulatory help (i.e. Hoyer lift, walking, standing)

• Shower and Shampoo

• Oral health is taken care of

• Nail care

• Medical needs (i.e. insulin, oxygen)

• Monitor health

• Manage medical records

• Manage health insurance and insurance policies

• Manage Medication

• Manage bank accounts and address financial issues

• Take care of estate planning and legal documents

• Shave

• Help getting dressed

• Toileting

• Check vital signs

• Morning Medicine

• Breakfast

• Skincare (i.e. lotion)

• Wound care

• Clean the house (i.e. vacuum/dust)

• Wash Laundry

• Clean kitchen

• Change linens

• Afternoon medication

• Lunch

• Emails/Calls (i.e. schedule medical appointments, keep track of phone numbers)

• Bill paying

• Groceries

• Act as a companion (i.e. play games, take walks)

• Exercise

• Physical therapy

• Dinner

• Get dressed for bed

• Night medication

• Other

  
  

Feeling overwhelmed by caregiving responsibilities is common, but documenting essential details through a checklist can foster organization and alleviate stress. Apex Professional Care empathetically understand the struggles of family caregivers, that is why we created a free checklist for caregivers in order to somehow ease their struggles. This checklist can be shared with medical professionals to enhance the coordination of your loved one's care.