Access to the house is the first thing a caregiver needs and the last thing anyone remembers to take back. This guide follows the handoff from the first key cut to the final return, with a written log at every step.

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: List every way into the house

Walk the outside of the house once and write down each entry point and each item that opens it.

  1. Front door: key, keypad code, or both
  2. Back or side door: ____________________
  3. Garage or gate: ____________________
  4. Lockbox or hidden key location: ____________________
  5. Alarm or monitoring panel code: ____________________

Step 2: Decide who holds each item

Each item gets one named holder on the family side. Write the holder's name, not a role. If the caregiver will carry a key, that is a separate line and a separate decision.

Step 3: Start the key log

Use one page with these columns and keep it where the family can find it. Create it before anything is handed over.

Item: ____________ Holder: ____________ Given on: ____________ Given by: ____________ Returned on: ____________ Copy location: ____________

Step 4: Change keypad codes before the first shift

If a keypad or alarm code is in use, set a new code before the caregiver starts. Write the date changed on the log and tell the family members who need to know. A code that was shared with a former helper, a relative, or a neighbor stays in circulation until someone changes it.

Step 5: Hand over in person and sign the log

Give each item to the caregiver directly, confirm the item and the date aloud, and have both sides initial the line. Each side keeps a copy of the log. Do not leave keys in a mailbox, under a mat, or with a third party without writing that location on the log.

Step 6: Plan for a change of caregiver

When a caregiver is replaced, the log is the checklist. Collect each item from the outgoing caregiver, mark its return date, and issue the same item to the incoming caregiver only after the log is updated. Change the code again if there is any doubt about who still has access.

Step 7: Close out at the end of service

  1. Collect every key, card, fob, and written code from the caregiver.
  2. Mark each line returned on the log with the date.
  3. Change any keypad or alarm code that the caregiver knew.
  4. Confirm in writing that no copies were made, or list every copy that exists.

Questions to ask the provider before the first key changes hands

  • Where does the agency keep any key or code it holds, and who can access that place?
  • Does the agency make copies of keys, and does it tell the family when it does?
  • If a key is lost, who does the agency call first?
  • Does the agency share a caregiver's access details with anyone else on its staff?

Write the answers in full beside the log. Compare them with the answers from any other provider you are considering.

Signs the handoff is not working

  • The caregiver asks for an item that is not on the log.
  • A copy is made or a code is written down without the family being told.
  • Nobody can say where a spare key is kept.

When you see one of these signs, stop the handoff, update the log, and resolve the gap before the next shift.

What to write down today

The entry-point list, the key log with each holder named, the date of each code change, and the close-out checklist. Put the log on the refrigerator or in the same folder as the signed paperwork so anyone in the family can find it.