Many families begin a search because the house feels off: mail is unopened, the fridge runs low, a ride gets missed. Those signs can point to very different problems. This sheet helps you name the problem first so you hire for the right one.

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.

Step 1: Name the problem in one sentence

Write it before you call any provider. Keep it plain: what is not getting done, and how often.

Write here: The problem in one sentence: ______________________________________________

Step 2: Keep an errand log for three weeks

  1. Each time something is needed, write the item, the date it was needed, who handled it, and whether it was done on time.
  2. Include groceries, mail, rides to appointments, and pharmacy pickups.
  3. Note any item that was left undone, and what happened because it was left undone.

Step 3: Sort each item into one of three piles

  • Errand gap: a task a caregiver can do without making judgments, such as groceries, mail, a pharmacy pickup, or a drive to an appointment.
  • Care gap: a task that needs someone present, watching, or making a judgment in the moment.
  • Decision gap: a task the family has to decide, such as whether to move a parent, change a schedule, or accept help the parent refuses.

Medicine note: a caregiver may give reminders and pick up prescriptions as an errand. Setting up, sorting, and giving medicine stays with the family, the doctor, and the pharmacist. If medicine is part of the gap, put it in the decision or care pile and take it to the doctor or pharmacist first.

Step 4: Read what the piles tell you

  • If most of the pile is errands, a caregiver hired for errands and reminders may fit. Move to the sizing sheet and count hours.
  • If the pile shows the parent alone when things go wrong, you have a care gap. A caregiver present for those hours may be the fit, and a clinician should confirm what kind of help is needed.
  • If the pile is mostly decisions, hold a family meeting before you call any provider.

Step 5: Check the signs that the hire will not fix it

  • The same item is missed again after the errand was assigned to a caregiver.
  • The parent refuses the help and the family cannot agree on what to do next.
  • The problem is medical and nobody has asked the doctor about it.

Write here: Errand pile count: ______ Care pile count: ______ Decision pile count: ______ Next move: ______________________

Once the piles are sorted, the start sequence is in Start Here: Five Steps to Hiring.