Before the first caregiver visit
Twenty minutes of preparation that decides whether the first visit goes well.
Use it when: You have booked a caregiver and they arrive this week.
Write down, somewhere visible
- What your parent likes to be called
- The daily routine, including what time they actually get up
- What they eat, and what they will not eat
- Allergies
- Who to phone, in what order
Show the caregiver
- Where the bathroom, kettle and towels are
- How the door locks work
- Where medication is kept, and whether they may hand it over
- Anything in the house that is fragile or precious
Agree out loud
- What the caregiver will do, and what they will not
- What happens if your parent refuses care that day
- How you want to be told about anything that changes
- Who to call if the caregiver cannot get in
For your parent
- Be there for the first visit if you canBeing introduced by family lands very differently from a stranger at the door.
- Say how long the person is staying
- Give them something to do together, not just to receive