Elderly Sitters Checklist

There are certain things that elderly people tend to forget and oftentimes these are some of the most important things -- such as eating, personal hygiene or taking medications. Provide a checklist for someone who is watching over an elderly person to reassure that these important things are being done on a daily basis. It also gives the caregiver direct instructions and information on the person they are providing care for.

Food

• Keep a list of foods that the person is allergic to posted on the refrigerator. Keeping track of what the person eats and when she eats the meals makes everyone aware that she is eating nutritious foods on a daily basis.

Medication

• Any medication that an elderly person takes should be labeled with instructions on each bottle as well as instructions written down for the caregiver. Keep medications in one central place if possible. The checklist should provide the name of the medication, what times they should be given, the quantity given and the name of the person who administered the medication. This will avoid missing doses or overdosing.

Personal Hygene

• If the caregiver is going to be responsible for personal hygiene, include these activities in the checklist. Brushing teeth or dentures, bathing, and brushing or washing hair are tasks to include on the list. Once each task is complete, have the caregiver sign off on it on the checklist. This may be necessary if the elderly person receiving care has memory loss and can't remember the last time he brushed his teeth.

Daily Activities

• Include a place on the checklist to write down what went on throughout the day. If you took this person for a walk or if you played a card game, include this as well. It's nice to see what types of entertainment the elderly person had for the day. You can also include in any comments or concerns in this section for future references.