Senior-care guide
A practical checklist for the first week of home care
What to prepare, confirm and observe when non-medical home care begins.
What to prepare, confirm and observe when non-medical home care begins. List preferred times, meals, activities, household notes and important contacts. Ask the older adult and caregiver what is working. Keep the written service plan, agency contact numbers and schedule in one visible place. After each visit, note arrival and departure, completed tasks, questions and any change the older adult wants. This is not a medical chart; it is a practical record for checking whether the agreed service works. Schedule an agency check-in before the week ends. Ask how the caregiver match is going, whether instructions are clear, how missed visits are escalated and whether the schedule needs revision.
Prepare a simple routine sheet
Keep clinical instructions with the licensed medical team and do not ask non-medical caregivers to perform tasks outside their scope.
Confirm the operating details
- Arrival window and shift length
- Backup process for a call-out
- Who the family contacts with concerns
- Transportation and expense rules
- How changes are documented
Review after several visits
Small changes to timing, activities or communication can improve the fit without rebuilding the entire plan.
Create a simple first-week record
Do not ask a non-medical caregiver to take on clinical tasks outside the agency's stated scope.
The winter question to settle in week one
In Vermont the first week should establish what happens when a caregiver cannot get there.
Ask the agency directly: if the road is not passable by 7am, who calls whom, how long before a replacement is attempted, and what the family is expected to cover.
Agree it in the first week, in writing, while everyone is calm.
Set the same expectation in the other direction.
Tell the agency which single task genuinely cannot be missed, usually medication prompting or a transfer, and which can slide to the afternoon.
An agency that knows the priority can protect it; one that does not will send whoever is free to do whatever is on the list.
What to have ready before the first visit
Have the written service plan, the agency's number, the schedule and a list of what matters in one visible place: a folder on the kitchen table works better than anything digital for most households.
Whoever arrives should not have to hunt for anything.
Tell the agency the things that are not on any form: which name the person prefers, what time they actually get up, what they will refuse outright, where the dog goes, and what will make them ask the caregiver to leave.
Those details decide the first week more than the task list does.
What to review on day seven
Compare the signed plan with the visits that actually occurred.
Check arrival windows, completed tasks, caregiver introductions, changes to the schedule and whether the older adult understood whom to call.
Record facts before discussing a mismatch with the agency.
A useful first-week call ends with named actions: who updates the task list, who confirms the next schedule and when the family will hear back.
If the arrangement is basically sound, say what worked too.
If an essential visit was missed, ask for the agency's written escalation and backup process.
- Visits completed as scheduled
- Tasks completed or declined
- Questions from the older adult
- Billing or minimum-shift surprises
- Agreed changes and owner
| When | What to do | Who does it | Sign it is working |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before day one | Send the routine sheet, agree access and keys | Family | The agency confirms it has read the sheet |
| Day one | Introduce the caregiver, walk through the home | Family and caregiver | The older adult is at ease and in charge |
| Days two to four | Leave the caregiver alone, review the visit notes | Caregiver | Notes match the agreed tasks |
| Day seven | Short review call with the agency | Family and coordinator | Problems are named and one change is agreed |
Common questions
What should we prepare before the first home-care visit?
A written service plan, the agency's number, the schedule and the practical details no form captures: preferred name, real waking time, what they will refuse, where the pets go. Keep it in one visible place, not on a phone.
How long does it take to settle into home care?
Usually two to four weeks. Expect some friction in the first days, it is a stranger in someone's home, and judge the arrangement at the four-week review, not after the first visit.
Should family be present for the first visits?
Helpful for the first one or two, then step back. Staying beyond that prevents the working relationship forming, and the arrangement only succeeds if the older adult deals with the caregiver directly.
What should we agree about bad weather in week one?
Who rings whom if the caregiver cannot get there, how long before a replacement is attempted, and which single task genuinely cannot be missed. Agree it while everyone is calm, before the first storm hits.
What if the first caregiver is not a good fit?
Say so promptly and plainly. Agencies expect it and would rather re-match than lose the arrangement, and a poor personal fit rarely improves with time.
Should the agency supervisor visit in the first week?
Ask for it. A supervisor or care coordinator check-in in the first two weeks shows how the agency handles feedback, and it is the fastest way to fix a task list that turned out wrong on paper.
What should we do about house keys and access?
Agree a written access plan before the first visit: who holds a key, whether a lockbox is used, and how the caregiver is admitted. Do not leave a key with a caregiver informally, and keep a record of who has one.
How do we tell whether the first week went well?
Judge it on whether the agreed tasks happened on time, whether the older adult felt respected, and whether the caregiver left usable notes. A good week is boring and predictable, not warm and chatty.
Sources
Reviewed August 16, 2026. Things change after that. Programs, provider details and regulations can shift, so confirm anything time-sensitive directly with the source.