Daily Care Checklist for Family Caregivers

Taking care of a loved one is a major responsibility that requires a lot of dedication and organization. It can be easy to underestimate the sheer amount of support that aging adults can need. Fortunately, a good daily care checklist can help ensure that your loved one’s needs are met every day.

Whether you’re caring for your loved one on your own or splitting up duties with others, it’s important not to forget important tasks. Following a set care checklist can help you stay on track so that your loved one can live a well-balanced and supported life. Keep reading to learn what duties should be included on a checklist.

Regular Caregiving Responsibilities for Seniors

As a caregiver, there are plenty of tasks that you must complete every day for your loved one. Listing out every single one can be overwhelming, so breaking out these various duties into specific categories can make them easier to manage. These categories include:

• Personal care
• Toileting
• Household chores
• Feeding and nutrition
• Social interaction
• Medical care and medication management
• Financial

Once you have your categories broken out, you can start adding tasks that are relevant to your loved one’s needs. You may also have tasks that don’t have to be completed every day. It’s still good to include these tasks, just make sure to note how often they should be performed and when they were last done.

While every person’s situation is different, there are a lot of common caregiving duties. We’ve categorized typical tasks to help you create your own list. We’ve also created a sample daily care checklist further down the page if you’d prefer to download something and check off the areas that concern you and your loved one.

Daily Personal Care

• Brush/comb hair
• Brush teeth
• Change clothes
• Shave (if needed)
• Trim nails
• Apply lotion
• Complete regular exercises

Toileting Assistance

• Assist with going to the bathroom
• Change bedpan
• Empty catheter and colostomy bag
• Assist with incontinence care (adult diapers, absorbent sheets, etc.)

Household Chores

• Check and replace household supplies
• Clean and fold laundry
• Clean kitchen
• Clean bathroom
• Clean bedroom
• Make bed/change sheets
• Clean living room/family room
• Clean and put away dishes
• Take out the trash
• Adjust room temperature
• Vacuum floors
• Dust tables and general living area
• Complete yardwork
• Pick up mail
• Make daily items accessible
• Hire and schedule any contractors, cleaners, or other professional services when needed

Feeding and Nutrition

• Buy groceries
• Plan out meals
• Prepare breakfast, lunch, dinner, and/or snacks
• Watch fluid intake
• Buy vitamins and nutritional supplements if needed
• Feeding assistance if needed

Social Interaction

• Escort to appointments
• Watch TV/read together
• Play games
• Go on planned outings (park, zoo, etc.)
• Visit friends/family

Medical Care and Medication Management

• Watch for and document any signs of potential health problems
  • Fatigue
  • Falls
  • Memory issues
  • Mood changes
• Pick up prescriptions
• Remind your loved one to take medications
• Fill weekly pill organizer or automatic medication dispenser
• Schedule medical appointments and physical exams
• Check blood sugar and blood pressure
• Manage heat sensitivity with cold packs, cooling scarves, etc.
• Coordinate with doctors and insurance

Financial

• Pay bills
• Review/manage finances
• Budget for future expenses
• Set up auto-pay on regular expenses