A caregiver who has to hunt for the breaker panel, the phone numbers, or the cleaning supplies loses the first hour of the first shift. The setup walk fixes that. It is three items placed in three fixed spots, checked on one day, and kept up on a schedule. Do it before the first shift, not during it.

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: Write the emergency sheet

Put one sheet on paper in a single spot, the same spot every visit. Fill in each line before the caregiver arrives.

Family contact, first call: Name ______ Phone ______

Family contact, second call: Name ______ Phone ______

Neighbor or nearby person with a key: Name ______ Phone ______

Doctor's office phone: ______ (listed for reference only, the family makes the calls)

Pharmacy phone: ______ (for prescription pickup errands only)

Home address with cross streets: ______

Ask the provider: Will the caregiver keep a copy in their own bag, and what do they do when a number on the sheet is missing or wrong? A plain answer is to call the first family contact. A vague answer is a reason to ask again.

Step 2: Map the shutoffs

Walk the house and mark where each of these lives. Write the location, not a guess.

Electrical breaker panel: ______

Main water shutoff: ______

Gas shutoff, if the house has gas: ______

Thermostat: ______ Stove controls and how they lock: ______

Garage door opener and manual release: ______

Ask the provider: When a breaker trips or a pipe leaks, what does the caregiver do first, and who gets the call? Listen for a clear line that the caregiver reports to the family and does not repair or diagnose. If the provider wants to decide on repairs or service calls, stop and get that written into the scope before you sign.

Step 3: Stock the supply shelf

Pick one shelf, labeled with a piece of tape, and put these items on it. Count them on the day you set it up.

Cleaning supplies the family wants used: ______

Trash bags and paper towels: ______ count

Gloves, if the family chooses to supply them: ______ count

Flashlight with working batteries: ______

Spare phone charger: ______

Medicine does not go on this shelf. Medicine storage, sorting, and any dosing stay with the family, the doctor, and the pharmacist. A non-medical caregiver may give medication reminders and pick up prescriptions as an errand, and nothing more. Write that line into the routine so no one assumes otherwise.

Step 4: Walk the house with the caregiver

On the first shift, walk the house together for about fifteen minutes. Point out the emergency sheet, the shutoff map, the shelf, the stove controls, the exit route, and any trip hazard you already know about, such as a loose rug edge or a cord across a doorway. Ask the caregiver to repeat back where the sheet and the shelf are. If they cannot, show them again before you leave.

Ask the provider: Is the house walk recorded anywhere in writing, and who keeps that record? Compare the answers. A provider that puts the walk on paper gives you something to check against later. A provider that says it is only verbal gives you nothing to point to when the next caregiver starts.

Keeping the setup working

Set a reminder for the first of each month to check the sheet, the shelf, and the flashlight batteries. Replace what is missing or expired. When a phone number changes, decide now who updates the sheet and write the name here: ______

Walk-away signs:

The provider will not let the family keep a copy of the emergency sheet.

The caregiver is asked to reset a breaker, shut off a line, or diagnose a leak as part of the normal shift.

The provider says no written setup is needed and the house will sort itself out.

For the rest of the hiring steps in order, see Start Here: Five Steps to Hiring.