The Aging Parent Care System

Almost nobody arrives at this job on purpose. There was a fall, or a diagnosis, or a slow year of small things, and at some point you became the person who knows which tablets are the blue ones and when the next appointment is. Nobody trained you. There is no handover document.

The Aging Parent Care System is that handover document: a 43-page fillable binder, a shared spreadsheet for your siblings, and a First 48 Hours checklist for the day something goes wrong.

What you get

• The fillable binder (43 pages) — every line is a form field. Type into it on your computer, tablet or phone, or print it for a ring binder. US Letter and A4 both included.
• The Family Care Hub spreadsheet — upload it to Google Sheets or open it in Excel, share it with your siblings, and everyone sees the same medications, appointments, tasks and expenses. It even works out who has paid what and who owes whom.
• The First 48 Hours checklist — a separate 3-page file for the hospital go-bag: what to do hour by hour, what to ask before discharge, what to pack and who to notify.

Inside the binder

• 0 · The First 48 Hours — what to do, ask and pack when something has just happened
• 1 · About Them — the basics, their health at a glance, and the page that keeps them a person rather than a patient
• 2 · The Care Team — every doctor, pharmacy and helper, with the number that reaches a human being
• 3 · Medications — the current list, a log of every change, and a weekly check
• 4 · Appointments — a before sheet, an after sheet and the year at a glance
• 5 · Daily Life — a one-line-a-day log, a falls and incidents log, and a home safety walk-through
• 6 · Documents and Money — where every paper lives, the conversations to have, bills, a call log and care expenses
• 7 · Sharing the Load — who does what, a family meeting agenda, a task board and the handover sheet that lets you take a weekend off
• 8 · You — a monthly check-in, a list of specific asks, and a plan for real time off

Who it is for

Adult children and spouses who have become "the one who handles things" — whether you live down the hall or three states away, and whether this started last week or five years ago.

Good to know

Instant download · 43-page fillable PDF in US Letter and A4 · Excel / Google Sheets workbook · Works with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader · Yours to keep, reprint and share with the family members caring alongside you

This is a record-keeping and planning tool, not medical, legal or financial advice. Always follow the guidance of the doctor, pharmacist or attorney who knows your family's situation.