I am working on hiring in-home help and, if someone is going to be here with us, they need to know about our schedule and the typical things we do every day. I am working on a brief synopsis of what a day in our lives looks like. What time do we get up and what assistance does my husband need every morning? How does our day progress? It will have his time schedule for medications and mealtimes. They need to know that he takes his meds by himself but I still standby in case he needs help. I prepare meals and it is important that they know about any allergies or special accommodations for eating, that he occasionally has issues swallowing. I won’t forget to put his naps in the schedule and talk about what I do while he is sleeping. If there are things that vary during the week such as exercise times, I will add a side note indicating those changes.

Once I have a complete picture of a typical day, I’ll turn it over and add a section on what it looks like when things go wrong and how to address that. When my husband is “off” for whatever reason, it can look like he is having a stroke. His left side has always been his weaker side so his mouth will droop, and his gait becomes disjointed. He needs a nap and a chance to reset. If the symptoms persist after he wakes up, then it is time to call 911. I am listing emergency contacts and back-up numbers on the schedule itself along with a note about where additional information can be found.

This schedule will change over time so I am creating it in a word document that can be easily updated. Once I have it done, it goes on the fridge along with his POLST form. Vital information is only useful if it can be accessed so I will be sure to tell anyone who comes in to help where to look and maybe even give them their own copy. This is just one more step in making sure that we have a safe plan for in-home care that works for all of us.