Do you wonder what's happening with your elder if someone else is providing care when you can't be there? Does your caregiver forget to give you important or interesting information at the end of the day? Is communication between multiple caregivers not as good as you would like?

When we can't be the one providing care, but we want to be "in the loop" about what happens with our elder every day, a Daily Log form is one of the easiest ways to keep track. Not only will you know what happened during the day, but you will have a permanent record for the future. Multiple caregivers will have access to notes about what happened before they came on duty. It's amazing how we can forget exactly when little things happened that later turn out to have been important.

If your caregiver comes from an agency, the agency probably has a similar form for the caregiver to complete and turn in. This is for agency records, and you will not have copies for your own records. Having your own record is important.

If you've hired your caregiver privately, unless you provide an easy-to-use form the chances that your caregiver will consistently make note of what you need and want to know is slim. Some families ask their caregivers to record notes in a loose-leaf or spiral notebook, but without guidance about what to record, these notes tend to become shorter and shorter as time goes by.

The Caregiver Daily Log form is available for you to download and use. Remember to save it to your computer in a place you can remember. Print one two-sided sheet per caregiver per day. The easiest way to keep them organized for your caregiver(s) is to use a three-hole punch and keep them in a three-ring binder.

Download the Caregiver Daily Log