Before you call a single provider, write the problem in one plain sentence and count how often it happens over two weeks, because a family that cannot name the problem will hire for the wrong job.

A family often starts the search with a feeling: someone should be checking on Dad, or Mom should not be alone in the house all day. The feeling is real, but a caregiver is hired to do specific things. Until the family can name those things, every phone call will sound like a sales pitch for a service nobody needs yet, and every quote will be measured against the wrong target.

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 problem in one sentence

Use this form: Our parent needs help with ____________________, at ____________________ times, because ____________________. Keep it to one sentence. If you need two sentences, you probably have two problems, and you should pick the one that happens more often.

Step 2: Separate the need from the preference

A need is something that does not get done when no one is available: a meal not eaten, a bath not taken, a trip to an appointment missed, a stretch alone with no one who can respond. A preference is something that would be nice: company, conversation, someone to talk to on a slow afternoon. Both are valid. Only needs are a reason to hire on a schedule. Write each one in its own column.

Step 3: Count the signs for two weeks

Keep a simple tally on the kitchen counter. Each time a family member has to leave work, cancel plans, drive over, or make a call because the need went unmet, make one mark. Note the day and the task in one short line.

Day: ________ Task: ____________________ Who stepped in: ____________________

How to read the count

If the count is zero or near zero, hold off on hiring. Keep the tally going for another two weeks and watch for change.
If the same family member appears on most lines, the problem is a load on one person. Write that down as its own problem.
If the count is high and spread across several tasks, the problem is wide enough that you should pick the top two tasks and build the first search around those.

Signs you have the problem

You have a real need when the count shows repeated gaps, when the same task keeps landing on the same person, and when the gaps are getting longer or more frequent over the two weeks. Write those signs next to the sentence you wrote in Step 1.

What to do next

Take the sentence and the tally to the first provider call. Ask each provider to repeat the problem back in its own words. If the answer does not match your sentence, you are not yet talking to the right provider. For the full order of the search, see Start Here: Five Steps to Hiring.

The Unnamed Need: Write the One Problem a Caregiver Would Solve, Then Count the Signs It Is Real