A hire that works in the first month can drift by the fourth without any single day going wrong. The slip log turns drift into short lines on paper, so the family sees the pattern while the fix is still small.
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 owner and the review day
- Name one family member as the owner of the log, and write that name on the first line of the page.
- Pick one review day each week, ten minutes long, at the same time every week.
- Keep the log on the same counter or in the same shared file as the shift sheet.
Write here: Owner ________ Review day and time ________
What goes on each line
- What changed in the parent's routine, in plain words.
- What was missed or late, and whether it was on the written task list.
- What was asked for that is not written down anywhere.
- Any hours beyond the agreed block, and why.
What to do with each line
For each entry, write one of three answers: send it to the caregiver, send it to the family's own plan, or take it to the parent's doctor. A line about eating, walking, or remembering goes to the doctor with the log in hand. The log describes what happened, and it does not diagnose anything.
Write a rule beside the log: three entries about the same thing in two weeks means the written plan needs a change, not another reminder. Update the task list in writing and tell the caregiver the same day.
Monthly check
- Compare the log with the written task list, line by line.
- Cross out tasks that no longer fit, and add the new ones in writing.
- Ask the caregiver to read the changed list back to the owner.
Walk-away sign: the caregiver or agency will not accept a changed list in writing, or the log keeps showing the same miss with no change to the plan.