The shift sheet is the page that sits on the counter at every visit. It is the only record of the day that does not depend on who remembers what. Set it up before the first shift, and read it the same way each time.

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.

Set the four entries

  1. Arrival and departure, written as the clock time the caregiver actually came in and left.
  2. Tasks done, in the order of the family's written task list, with a tick or a short note beside each one.
  3. Changes from the usual day, one line each, with the time it was noticed.
  4. Calls and reminders, including any call to the family, a doctor's office, or a pharmacy, and each medicine reminder given. The medicine itself stays with the family, the doctor, and the pharmacist.

Write the header before day one

Write here: Caregiver name ________

Write here: Family person to call for changes ________

Write here: Who keeps each medicine (name each one) ________

Read the sheet the same way every visit

  1. Check the arrival and departure times against the hours in the written agreement.
  2. Look for any task not ticked, and read the note that explains it.
  3. Read the changes line first, since small slips show up there before they show up anywhere else.
  4. Answer any call or reminder entry the same day it is written.

Ask the candidate before you hire

Ask what they write at the end of a visit and how the next person reads it. Listen for a clear line for each time, a plain description of changes, and willingness to use the family's sheet rather than a private notebook. Walk away if the candidate calls the sheet unnecessary or wants to be the only one who holds the record.

If you are still at the first step, Start Here: Five Steps to Hiring sets out the order. The method behind these sheets is on How We Write the Sheets.