After the first weeks, a caregiver's work tends to drift from the written list. Some drift is reasonable, because a parent's needs change. Some drift is a sign that the arrangement is no longer doing what you hired it for. The task list you signed is the reference for telling the two apart. Keep it where you can check it at each visit. The list itself is supposed to say what the caregiver will and will not do, and the Hire a Caregiver in St. Louis: Agency or Direct page explains how those lists are usually handled.

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: Check each visit against the list

  1. Tasks done that are on the list.
  2. Tasks skipped with no note explaining why.
  3. Tasks added that were never on the list.

Write here:

Skipped with no note: ____________________

Added without a list change: ____________________

Step 2: Watch for the three drift signs

  • Visit notes that repeat the same words every time, with nothing new in them.
  • Visits that get shorter while the note stays the same length.
  • Requests to the family to make decisions that belong to the caregiver's role, or the caregiver taking on tasks no one asked for.

Step 3: Keep medicine on its own line

Medication reminders and pharmacy pickups are the only medicine-related errands a non-medical caregiver may take on. Sorting, counting, giving, or managing medicine stays with the family, the doctor, and the pharmacist. If you find the caregiver doing any of those things, or being asked to, stop that task right away, write down what happened, and call the doctor and the pharmacist yourself.

Write here:

Medicine-related task seen: ____________________

Who I called about it: ____________________

Answers to listen for

A caregiver who names a change and asks whether the list should be updated. An agency or caregiver who offers to revise the written list in writing. A plain reason for each skipped task.

Signs to walk away

  • The caregiver says the list is only a suggestion.
  • The provider says drift is normal and asks you to stop checking.
  • Any medicine handling beyond reminders and pickups, with no written change to the plan.