What helps my parent
The best care plan starts with what your parent wants, not with what the rest of us think they need.
Download the PDF
How to use it
- Ask your parent three things: what they want to keep doing on their own, what help they’d welcome, and what helps on a hard day.
- The sheet has room for each of those, plus a usual day and the easiest way to talk things through.
- Use their own words when you can.
- Share it with anyone who helps, so everyone starts from the same page.
Starting with what your parent wants
You may be helping for the first time, or finding that your parent needs more help than before. Start by talking about what has changed and what they want help with, before anyone makes a plan.
Your parent may manage most things on their own but need help with one daily task. A meal may be hard to make, a bath may feel unsafe, or a ride may be hard to find. Start with the task that is hard now, and ask what they want to keep doing themselves.
Writing it down in their own words gives every helper the same starting point. Keep the page with the daily care papers. For hands-on care, ask a trained person to show you what is safe.
More sheets you can print
Notes for when I am awayA few days away is easier when the person filling in has everything on one page.Meals and groceriesMeals are often one of the first things to slip when someone needs more help, and one of the easiest to share out.A ride there and homeA missed ride home can turn a short appointment into a long afternoon.
