How to Develop Care Task Lists

A brunette woman sitting in a wheelchair at a table writes in a notebook with an orange pen in front of a window. — Creating care task lists ensures that nothing slips through the cracks and that essential procedures aren’t misunderstood.

Hand in Hand has heard from our members that hire caregivers and personal care attendants that it can be challenging to stay on top of all the tasks that need to be done on a regular schedule. It can be frustrating to realize after you’ve hired someone that care needs have not been met. A detailed care task list can help.

Key Takeaways

Use a calendar or planner to visualize tasks and timeframes.
Time each task to schedule them accurately.
Create checklists for detailed procedures when necessary.

Step 1: Make a Big Picture Care Plan

What does a typical week of care duties look like? Are there particular days when certain tasks must be accomplished?

Using a calendar or planner can help you visually track what tasks are carried out regularly. Whether it’s a dry erase board, large paper calendar, or digital calendar (like Google Calendar), make sure it’s easy for both you and your team of PCAs/caregivers to access it and add notes. If you have multiple caregivers working in shifts, you can also keep track of who is working which shift on this calendar, too.

Step 2: Create a Daily Task List

Next, create a list of daily tasks to be completed. Think about an average day and ask yourself (or your loved one), “What is the first thing that you do in the morning?” and, “How or what could someone do to support you with this task?” Continue to work your way through the rest of the day or shift with as much detail as you can.

After you have a comprehensive list, organize these tasks into a daily schedule. It can be useful to time these tasks because we often underestimate the time necessary to complete them. Understanding how long tasks will take allows you to accurately budget time and resources.

Here’s an example of what a daily morning schedule might look like:

Time of Day for Task	Task Description	Approximate Length of Time for Task
Morning: 7 AM	Arrive to begin shift	n/a
7 AM	Assist with transferring from bed to wheelchair	15-20 minutes
7:30 AM	Prepare Breakfast	30 minutes
8 AM	Assist with toileting routine	30 minutes
8:30 AM	Assist with showering routine	30 minutes to 1 hour
10 AM	Kitchen Cleanup	30 minutes
10:30 AM	Administer medications	5 minutes
10:35 AM (approximate)	Assist with morning mobility exercises	1 hour
11:00 AM	Prepare meal and/or light shopping tasks	1 hour
12:00 PM	End of shift	n/a

Step 3: Make Checklists for Detailed Procedures

Some tasks may require precise repetition or a detailed process. A checklist can help you and the PCA/caregiver ensure the task is completed correctly. Items on the list could include medication preparation or administration, personal hygiene, or meal preparation.

As an example, here is a checklist a Hand in Hand member created for their caregivers to assist in the removal and cleaning of an external catheter.

Checklist for nighttime catheter removal:

Prepare a basin of water in the tub by filling the basin halfway with warm water.
Place one cap-full of detergent in the basin.
After my clothing has been removed, remove the leg bag and catheter with the following steps:
1. Unfasten elastic leg straps from leg by gently stretching elastic bands around white buttons. (Note: the elastic straps can be easily torn, so please use care when unfastening.)
2. Remove the leg bag from leg and hang it off of bed, allowing excess urine to drain into the leg bag.
3. Roll condom catheter down to remove while holding leg bag straight in a vertical position.
Take the leg bag into the bathroom.
Remove the condom catheter from the top of the leg bag and throw away the condom catheter into the trash can.
Unscrew and disconnect top and bottom hoses at the white connection point.
Place both hoses and the leg bag into the basin to clean.

Step 4: Evaluating Your Care Task List

Now that you’ve created your lists, evaluate them by asking friends or family to see if anything’s missing. Are any tasks confusing or unclear? For example, with meal preparation, it might make sense to provide the caregiver with a set of recipes. Photos can also help make directions more clear.

The National Institute on Aging has created worksheets to help caregivers track responsibilities and details about care that you can use to get started.