Use this checklist before making a decision

Help caregivers locate respite, training, benefits, support, safety planning, and realistic ways to divide or document care responsibilities. A checklist cannot decide an individual case, but it can prevent missed questions, missing records, and avoidable deadlines.

Decision checklist

  • List every recurring care task, responsible person, backup person, frequency, and emergency contact.
  • Ask the Area Agency on Aging about respite, caregiver training, support groups, meals, transportation, and benefits counseling.
  • Check whether Medicaid, veterans programs, long-term care insurance, or employer benefits may support caregiving.
  • Create a medication list, medical summary, legal-authority file, and emergency plan that another person can use.
  • Schedule breaks before exhaustion becomes a crisis.
  • Document paid-care arrangements, taxes, employment classification, and household agreements.

Information to write down

  • The exact program, provider, company, service, product, or legal document involved.
  • The person’s state, county, ZIP code, coverage, deadlines, accessibility needs, and preferred contact method.
  • Names, dates, confirmation numbers, written notices, estimates, contracts, and appeal instructions.
  • The original source used to verify each important claim.

Questions to ask

  • Which rule or program applies to this exact situation?
  • What is the deadline, and what proves that the request was received?
  • What costs are excluded from the quoted amount?
  • What changes by state, plan, provider, or household?
  • Is there an appeal, grievance, correction, or second-review process?
  • Where is the answer published by the responsible agency?

Official sources

Related information

Within this subject: Updates and Official Changes, Official Help and Trusted Starting Points, Common Mistakes and Warning Signs, State-by-State Differences.

Also review: Long-Term Care, Home Care, Hospice, and Facility Quality, Mental Health, Grief, Substance Use, and Crisis Help, Memory Loss, Dementia, Cognitive Health, and Safety.

Last reviewed

This checklist was reviewed on 2026-07-30. Verify current rules before acting.