Using the NIA caregiver worksheets alongside your binder

A set of free worksheets worth knowing about

The National Institute on Aging offers six caregiver worksheets that can be downloaded, printed, and copied. NIA describes them as a way to coordinate care and keep track of caregiving responsibilities and needs.

This guide does not reproduce them. It describes what each one is for and where a printed copy might sit in your binder. The worksheets themselves come from NIA, so use the originals.

Worksheets for sharing the work and the paperwork

Two of the worksheets line up closely with the first sections of a home care binder.

• Coordinating caregiving responsibilities: NIA describes it as a way to identify and share caregiving tasks with family and friends. A copy fits well in a Household section. The Care Rotation Schedule Generator and the Help Task List Builder do a similar job if you want a version with names and time windows.
• Important documents and paperwork: a checklist of records and documents to help work out what needs to be gathered and stored. It fits a Key documents or Money and paperwork section. The Document Locator Sheet is a CareKeeper tool for writing down where each item is kept.

A worksheet for keeping a medication record

NIA's managing medications and supplements worksheet is a place to keep track of each prescription, over-the-counter medicine, and supplement the person is taking. NIA suggests sharing the list with other caregivers and health care providers.

Think of it as a record of what is taken, written down from the labels and the care team's instructions. It is not a place to decide anything about doses. The Medication List Printable does a similar job, and either one belongs in the Medications section.

Some families keep a single current list and discard older copies, so helpers are not unsure which page to trust.

Worksheets for bigger decisions

Three worksheets are more about preparing for a decision than keeping day-to-day records. They are good candidates for a pocket at the back of the binder.

• Home safety checklist: a room-by-room list NIA offers for noticing hazards around an older person's home. CareKeeper has no tool for this one.
• Questions to ask before hiring a care provider: NIA offers it as a way to collect information about each home health care or care management service you are considering, including services, fees, terms, and restrictions.
• Questions to consider before moving an older adult into your home: a list of questions to think over when weighing that kind of arrangement. CareKeeper has no tool for this one.

Fitting them into the binder you already have

If you are starting from the home care binder guide, you do not need all six worksheets. Print the ones that match a question someone is already asking, and leave the rest.

Worksheets are a starting point. Cross out what does not apply, add what does, and keep one filled-in copy where helpers can find it. The Care Binder Checklist can help you see what is still missing.

Questions you may want to ask

Some families use the worksheets as conversation starters with the care team, an agency, or each other.

• Which of these worksheets would be most useful for our situation right now?
• Could someone on the care team look over our medication list and tell us if anything looks out of date?
• Who in the family is willing to keep the printed copies current?
• Where in the home should the worksheets and binder be kept so every helper can find them?