From Adam & Andy

Caregiver guides

Field notes from two family caregivers. No jargon, no fluff — the systems we wish someone had handed us when we started. For whoever you are caring for: a parent, a partner, a child, a sibling, a friend, or the dog.

Getting started

Noticing the change, having the first conversations, and setting up the first week.

An older woman smiling with her hands resting on her cane

7 min read

Signs an Aging Parent Needs More Help at Home

The changes families notice first — in the house, the mail, the medications, driving, and mood — how to check without a confrontation, and what to do next.

An older woman with a walker laughing with her daughter outdoors

7 min read

How to Talk to an Aging Parent About Accepting Help

How to raise the subject of help with a parent who insists they are fine: timing, framing, starting small, respecting their control, and handling a no.

An older person at a table with a weekly pillbox, blister packs, a thermometer and a glucose meter

7 min read

Your First Week as a Family Caregiver: What to Set Up Now

A seven-day starter plan for new family caregivers: the medication list, the providers, the documents, the calendar, the family, the money, and yourself.

An older woman and her daughter carrying moving boxes into a home

7 min read

When an Aging Parent Moves In With You

Making a parent's move into your home work for everyone: the conversations before the move, the space, house rules and privacy, money, and your own family.

A pensive elderly woman by a window, in black and white

8 min read

Caring for a Parent With Dementia: Organizing the Days and the Team

The organizational side of dementia care: routines that reduce distress, safety changes, tracking what helps, sharing the load, and finding specialist support.

A home health aide in scrubs kneeling to hold an older woman's hands

7 min read

How to Hire In-Home Help for an Aging Parent

Agencies vs. independent caregivers, what to ask, how to check references, what it costs, how to set up the first weeks, and how to keep the family in the loop.

Three generations of a family gathered around an older man in a living room

8 min read

Assisted Living vs. Staying Home: How Families Decide

A framework for the hardest caregiving decision: what each option provides, what it costs and who pays, how to test it with a trial, and how to talk about it.

Four people against a yellow background, each thinking with a hand at their chin

7 min read

How to Choose a Caregiving App: The Questions to Ask

Questions that tell you if a caregiving app fits your family: do all caregivers see one record, can you get your data out, what does the privacy notice say?

Medications

One list, a weekly routine, refills, and what to do when a parent says no.

An older person's hands sorting pills into a weekly organizer

6 min read

How to Organize an Aging Parent's Medications

A practical system for managing a parent's medication list: one source of truth, a weekly pillbox routine, refill tracking, and keeping every caregiver in sync.

An older woman reading the label on a pill bottle

6 min read

How to Make a Medication List for a Parent (What to Include)

Exactly what belongs on an aging parent's medication list, how to lay it out so an ER nurse can read it in ten seconds, and how to keep it current.

A man holding up his palm to refuse a pill offered by a caregiver

7 min read

When a Parent Refuses to Take Their Medication

Why aging parents refuse medication, how to find the real reason without a power struggle, and how to bring the doctor and pharmacist in early.

An adult son on a couch showing his mother a pill bottle

6 min read

Organizing a Parent's Medications and Appointments Between Siblings

When siblings share a parent's care, the medication list and the calendar must be one. A setup that works across cities without one sibling carrying it all.

A checklist with two ticked boxes beside three pills on a white table

5 min read

One Shared Medication List for Siblings: How to Set It Up

A medication list every sibling sees at one version: what it holds, how changes are recorded, how it stays in step with the bottles, and who gets a copy.

A pill organizer and loose tablets on a printed medication list

5 min read

A Printable Medication List and Daily Care Sheet, Free

Two free printable sheets in eight languages: a medication list with every field a doctor needs and a daily care sheet for whoever is in the house today.

Doctors and appointments

Getting there, getting the most out of fifteen minutes, and keeping the providers straight.

A woman writing a list in a notebook on her bed

7 min read

How to Prepare for a Parent's Doctor Appointment

What to bring, what to ask, how to take notes, and how to share the outcome with the rest of the family — a repeatable routine for every appointment.

A grid of portraits of nine doctors, nurses and specialists

6 min read

How to Keep Track of a Parent's Doctors and Specialists

Build a provider directory for an aging parent: every doctor, what they handle, how to reach them, and who coordinates — so nothing falls between offices.

A doctor explaining a diagnosis to an older woman in an exam room

6 min read

Questions to Ask the Doctor After a Parent's New Diagnosis

The questions that turn a frightening diagnosis into a plan: what it means day to day, what changes now, who is on the team, and what to watch for.

A daughter helping her mother with a walker into the car

6 min read

Getting a Parent to Appointments When You Can't Drive Them

Transportation options for a parent's medical appointments — family rotations, rideshare, paratransit, insurance rides — and how to coordinate them reliably.

A doctor at a desk handing over a document beside a laptop and a tablet

6 min read

Who’s in Charge of a Parent’s Care? Getting the Doctors to Talk

When five doctors share a parent and none coordinates, the family does: one list for every specialist, summaries that travel, a doctor who holds the thread.

Hospital stays and surgery

What to track while your parent is admitted, and how to bring them home safely.

An older woman in a hospital bed with an oxygen line, a visitor at her side

7 min read

When a Parent Is in the Hospital: What to Track Every Day

A daily routine for family caregivers during a parent's hospital stay — who's who, what changed, what's next — so nothing gets lost between shifts and siblings.

A nurse going over discharge papers with an older patient in a hospital bed while her daughter listens

7 min read

The Hospital Discharge Checklist Every Family Caregiver Needs

What to ask, collect, and set up before a parent leaves the hospital — medication reconciliation, follow-ups, red flags, and the first 72 hours at home.

A surgeon in scrubs reassuring an older woman before surgery

7 min read

Preparing for a Parent's Surgery: A Caregiver's Checklist

The logistics of a parent's surgery from the family side: pre-op paperwork, the medication conversation, the day-of plan, and setting up the house for recovery.

Family and coordination

Siblings, spouses, distance, jobs, kids — sharing the load without keeping score.

Two sisters smiling with their heads together

7 min read

Sharing Caregiving Duties with Siblings — Without the Friction

How to split a parent's care fairly across siblings: name a coordinator, divide by strengths, make the work visible, and keep money conversations honest.

6 min read

Long-Distance Caregiving: How to Stay Truly Involved

Caring for a parent from another city: build your information system, own real work remotely, make visits count, and support the local caregiver.

A family of five talking over coffee around a table

7 min read

How to Run a Family Meeting About a Parent's Care

A working format for the family meeting about an aging parent: who attends, a standing agenda, how to handle disagreement, and how to leave with decisions.

Hands filling in a weekly planner beside a laptop and tablet

6 min read

How to Set Up a Family Caregiving Schedule That Holds

Turn 'who's checking on Mom this week?' into a schedule: map the real needs, build a rotation around people's lives, handle swaps, keep it visible.

Two brothers arguing face to face against a blue background

7 min read

When Siblings Disagree About a Parent's Care

The usual reasons siblings clash over an aging parent's care — information gaps, unequal load, money, old roles — and practical ways to get to decisions anyway.

An older couple outdoors, the husband pointing ahead while his wife holds his hand from her wheelchair

7 min read

Caring for a Spouse: Staying a Partner, Not Just a Caregiver

For husbands and wives who become caregivers: getting help without guilt, protecting the marriage inside the caregiving, and building a team around you.

7 min read

Caring for an Aging Parent While Working Full-Time

How working caregivers make it sustainable: batching the care work, using workplace leave and flexibility, sharing the load, and one shared record.

A grandfather, father and son standing together under a tree

6 min read

The Sandwich Generation: Caring for Parents and Kids at Once

Raising children while caring for an aging parent: what to systematize, how to involve the kids honestly, where to find help, and merging the calendars.

A keyboard with a blue key labelled Translate under a globe icon

6 min read

Caregiving in Your Family's Language

When caregivers read different languages: where health information in yours lives, one record everyone can read, and what to ask of your tools.

Four friends around a table while one opens a shared calendar on a laptop

6 min read

Getting the Family to Actually Use a Shared Caregiving App

How to get siblings, a spouse and a hired aide to open the same record every day: one coordinator, the right roles, a four-week trial and no second system.

A woman in a hospital bed holding a laptop while a man beside her reads it with her

6 min read

What the Person Being Cared For Should See

Caregiving tools forget the person at the center. What a parent should see of their own care, what stays between caregivers, and why it matters.

Safety and emergencies

The one-page sheet, the safer house, and the plan for when the caregiver is the one who is sick.

A nurse filling in a form on a clipboard while sitting with a patient at home

6 min read

The Emergency Information Sheet Every Aging Parent Should Have

What goes on a one-page emergency sheet for an older adult — medications, conditions, contacts, documents — where to keep it, and how to keep it current.

A notebook labeled Safety Checklist with a pen, paper clips and a magnifier

7 min read

Home Safety Checklist for an Aging Parent

A room-by-room walk-through to make a parent's home safer: lighting, floors, bathroom, kitchen, stairs, and the small fixes that prevent common injuries.

A woman kissing the forehead of a man lying in a hospital bed

6 min read

What If You Get Sick? A Backup Plan for Family Caregivers

How to make sure a parent's care continues if the primary caregiver is suddenly unavailable: a named backup, a handoff kit, shared information, and a rehearsal.

An older couple with arms crossed facing their adult children in a kitchen

7 min read

Talking to a Parent About Giving Up Driving: A Family Plan

How to raise driving with an aging parent without a fight: the warning signs, who else can weigh in, a driving evaluation, and the ride plan that replaces it.

An older man lying on a living room floor holding his head, his cane beside him

7 min read

What to Do After a Parent's Fall: The First Hour and the Follow-Up

A parent has fallen. What to do in the first hour, when to call 911, how to help them up safely, and the follow-up that keeps one fall from becoming the next.

Tracking health at home

Vitals and symptoms recorded the way a doctor can actually use.

An adult son checking his father's blood pressure at home

6 min read

Tracking a Parent's Blood Pressure and Vitals at Home

How to keep a home log of blood pressure, weight, glucose, and other vitals that a doctor will actually use — what to record, how often, and how to share it.

A doctor writing in a notebook beside a laptop

6 min read

How to Keep a Symptom Journal the Doctor Will Actually Use

A simple format for tracking a parent's symptoms — what, when, how bad, what else was going on — that turns 'she's been off lately' into a clinical timeline.

Paperwork, money, and legal

Bills, records, insurance, and the documents that let you help at all.

An elderly woman holding her head over a pile of bills while her daughter comforts her

7 min read

How to Track an Aging Parent's Bills and Finances

A respectful setup for a parent's bills: getting authority in place, finding every recurring bill, preventing missed payments, and watching for fraud.

A daughter and her elderly mother reviewing a document at a kitchen table with a laptop

7 min read

How to Organize a Parent's Medical Records and Documents

A filing system for an aging parent's paperwork — medical records, insurance, legal documents, IDs — that a caregiver can find fast and the family can share.

A daughter helping her elderly mother with paperwork on a laptop

7 min read

Managing a Parent's Health Insurance Paperwork Without Losing It

How family caregivers keep up with a parent's Medicare and insurance paperwork: reading EOBs, tracking claims, appealing denials, and getting authority to call.

A woman reading a law book at a desk with a scale of justice and a gavel

7 min read

Legal Documents Every Family Caregiver Should Ask About

A plain-language guide to the documents that let you help a parent — healthcare proxy, powers of attorney, HIPAA release, advance directive — and how to ask.

A clipboard reading Medicaid Eligibility with a stethoscope and capsules

7 min read

Medicare vs. Medicaid for Family Caregivers: What Each Covers

What Medicare pays for at home and in a facility, what it never covers, where Medicaid steps in, and how to find out what your parent qualifies for.

Tax forms, a calculator, cash and a calendar with Tax Day circled

7 min read

Caregiver Tax Deductions and Dependent Care Credits: What to Ask

The tax questions caregivers should bring to a professional: claiming a parent as a dependent, deducting their medical costs, the dependent care credit, an FSA.

A gavel beside a card reading Power Of Attorney

7 min read

Managing a Parent's Finances: When and How to Take Over With a POA

From helping with money to managing it: reading the signs, activating a financial power of attorney, Social Security's separate rules, and the fiduciary job.

7 min read

VA Caregiver Benefits: Programs Veterans' Families Should Ask About

The VA programs that support caregivers of veterans — the Caregiver Support Program, PCAFC's stipend, Aid and Attendance, respite care — and how to begin.

A spiral notebook with Medicare written on it and a blue pen on a wooden table

7 min read

Medicare Open Enrollment 2026: Reviewing a Parent's Plan

Helping a parent review their Medicare plan for 2027: the October 15 to December 7, 2026 window, the change letter, the lists, comparing plans, and free help.

A keyboard with a blue key labelled Extract

6 min read

Getting Your Family's Data Out of a Caregiving App

Why a family's care records must be exportable, what a real export contains, how a restore should work, and what to do if your app offers none of it.

A notepad spelling out Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, beside a toy cart of medicines

7 min read

What “HIPAA-Compliant” and “Encrypted” Mean for a Family

HIPAA binds doctors and health plans, not families or most apps. What the labels on a caregiving app promise, what encryption should mean, and what to ask.

Daily life

Check-ins, meals, and staying connected.

A woman holding hands with her elderly father in his armchair

6 min read

A Daily Check-In Routine for a Parent Living Alone

How to set up a daily check-in for an aging parent who lives alone — the call, the visit, the backup, and the shared log — without it feeling like surveillance.

A hand holding a phone over a basket of fresh vegetables

6 min read

Meal Planning and Groceries for an Aging Parent

How families keep a parent eating well: spotting poor nutrition early, simplifying meals, sharing the grocery job, and using delivery and meal programs.

An adult son walking arm in arm with his mother, who uses a cane

6 min read

Helping an Aging Parent Stay Social and Avoid Isolation

Practical ways to keep an older parent connected: remove the barriers, rebuild a weekly rhythm, use senior centers, and make family contact predictable.

Pets on the care team

The dog and the cat are part of the household's care — their medications, vet visits, and the plan for when their person is in the hospital.

An older woman on a couch hugging a beagle

6 min read

Caring for an Aging Parent's Pet When They Can't Do It All

How to keep a parent's dog or cat in their life as abilities change: sharing the pet care, tracking vet visits and medications, and planning for the pet.

A woman sitting on a kitchen floor feeding a Jack Russell terrier

6 min read

Who Cares for the Pet When Their Person Is in the Hospital

A plan for a loved one's dog or cat during a hospital or rehab stay: the first night, the sitter, the feeding and medication routine, and the vet visits.

A veterinarian with a stethoscope examining an orange cat

6 min read

Organizing a Pet's Medications and Vet Visits

A pet medication list, a vet directory, the vaccine and check-up schedule, and a shared log, so a dog or cat with a chronic condition gets consistent care.

A dog reaching up for a bone treat from an outstretched hand

5 min read

Sharing Pet Care Across a Household or Family

How to split a dog or cat's daily care so nothing is missed and nobody is resentful: the task list, the rotation, check-ins, and the sitter as a team member.

An old white dog trotting across a field at sunset

6 min read

Caring for a Senior Dog or Cat: Organizing the Later Years

The logistics of an aging pet: more vet visits, medications and mobility, a home for stiff joints, tracking comfort, and planning the hard conversations.

Disability and complex needs

Supporting an adult or child with a disability, and coming home after a stroke or serious injury — at any age.

A mother hugging her laughing adult daughter, who uses a power wheelchair, on a city sidewalk

8 min read

Coordinating Support for an Adult With a Disability

A family's system for supporting an adult with a disability: centering their choices, mapping the support team, tracking benefits paperwork, and planning ahead.

A mother holding her young son close as both smile at a playground

8 min read

Caring for a Child With Complex Medical Needs: The Family System

How parents of medically complex children stay organized: the shared record, the specialist team, supplies and equipment, school, caregivers, and siblings.

An older man in pajamas standing up from a bed with a walker, a nurse behind him

7 min read

Coming Home After a Stroke or Serious Injury: Organizing Recovery

Coming home after a stroke, brain injury, or spinal cord injury: the rehab schedule, the adapted home, caregiver training, medications, and the long haul.

Mental illness

The family's role when a loved one lives with a serious mental illness, depression, or anxiety — team, consent, crisis plan, and your own support.

A young man with his head in his hands in front of a table of pill bottles

8 min read

Supporting a Family Member With a Serious Mental Illness

The family's role when a loved one has bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or severe depression: the team, consent, routines, a crisis plan, and your own support.

A young woman with her eyes closed on a couch, a therapist listening beside her

7 min read

How to Make a Mental Health Crisis Plan With a Loved One

A format for a written mental health crisis plan: early warning signs, what helps, who to call and in what order, hospital preferences, and where it lives.

A young man with his eyes closed, lit by a strip of light in a dark room

7 min read

Caring for a Partner With Depression or Anxiety

How to support a partner through depression or anxiety without losing the relationship or yourself: practical help, treatment logistics, and boundaries.

A young woman crying into a tissue on a couch while a man sits with her

7 min read

Anticipatory Grief: Grieving Someone Who Is Still Here

Why caregivers grieve long before a death, what anticipatory grief looks like, how to carry it, how families grieve differently, and when to get help.

Serious and chronic illness

Cancer treatment and multiple chronic conditions — the logistics the family carries so the patient can carry the treatment.

A woman in pink holding a pink awareness ribbon

8 min read

Caring for a Loved One Through Cancer Treatment: The Logistics

The caregiver's side of cancer treatment: the appointment calendar, the side-effect log, meals and rides, organizing helpers, paperwork, lasting the distance.

An older woman sitting in a wheelchair in a dim bedroom, an IV line in her arm

7 min read

Coordinating Care for Someone With Multiple Chronic Conditions

When a loved one has several conditions and specialists: reconcile the medications, name the quarterback, track each condition, and keep the plan coherent.

Younger hands gently holding an elderly person's hands

7 min read

Hospice: What the Family Coordinates and What the Team Does

The organizational side of hospice at home: what the team provides, what the family still covers, the roster, supplies, the paperwork, and the respite benefit.

Taking care of the caregiver

Burnout, guilt, and respite — because the plan only works if you do.

A man in a suit covering his face with his hands while his parents sit at a table behind him

7 min read

Caregiver Burnout: The Signs and What to Do About It

How to recognize caregiver burnout in yourself or a sibling, and the practical steps that relieve it: sharing the load, respite, and a shared record.

A woman with her eyes closed, pressing her fist to her lips

6 min read

Caregiver Guilt: Why It Happens and How to Set It Down

Why family caregivers feel guilty no matter how much they do — and practical ways to separate real responsibility from impossible standards.

A hand holding a note reading Respite Care over a clipboard and notebook

6 min read

How to Find and Actually Use Respite Care

The types of respite care — in-home, adult day, short facility stays, family shifts — how to find and pay for them, and how to hand off without a long briefing.