Many families size help by asking how many hours the parent needs. If you live across town, that is only half the question. The other half is how many hours you can be in the house yourself, how long the drive takes, and who covers the windows you cannot reach. Those numbers decide how much of the week has to be hired and how much has to be handed to someone else with clear instructions.

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: Map your own hours

Write each day of a normal week. Mark the windows you can be at the parent's house in person, and the windows when you can only take a phone call. Include the drive time both ways in the in-person blocks.

In-person windows: ______________________________________________

Phone-only windows: ______________________________________________

Step 2: Count the gaps that matter

  1. List the hours when nobody is in the house.
  2. Within those hours, mark the ones where the parent could be at risk or fall out of routine if no one checks in.
  3. Mark the hours that are merely inconvenient to cover. Those can wait.

Gaps that matter most: ______________________________________________

Step 3: Set the caregiver hours to the important gaps

Fit the hired hours to the gaps that affect safety and daily routine. Do not fill every hour just because you can. An arrangement that covers the right hours is easier to keep than one that covers everything and falls apart after the first month.

Step 4: Write the response line

For each kind of issue, name who is called first, how fast they must answer, and what they are expected to do. Keep it on one page, next to the contact sheet. The Local Help page lists resources in the metro area that may help you fill any gap you cannot cover yourself.

First call for a health or safety concern: ______________________

First call for a schedule problem: ______________________

Step 5: Find a second set of eyes in the house

A neighbor, relative, or friend who can look in on the house is worth more than a longer caregiver schedule in some weeks. Write their name, the window they can check, and the one thing they are looking for. Keep the list short enough that they will actually use it.

Name: ____________________ Window: ____________ Check for: ____________________

Step 6: Recount after the first month

Your drive time and availability may change once the routine settles. Repeat the count after the first month and adjust the caregiver hours to match the gaps that are still open.