When several people help in one day, the same small questions come up at every handover. Were the morning medicines given? Did she have lunch? Did anyone make the afternoon call? A checklist on the fridge answers them at a glance, without a phone call. The Family Caregiver Alliance says a written schedule is useful, and that when there is more than one caregiver it might even be essential to make sure all tasks are covered. This checklist is one page a day, in large print, with a tick box for each task at each time of day.
What's in the free file
- One day on one page, with lines for the name, the day and the date, so the same page can be printed for any day.
- 8 everyday tasks printed down the side: medicines given, meal or snack, drinks, bathroom help, washing and dressing, moving or walking, rest, and a check-in call.
- 2 blank lines for tasks of your own.
- Four tick boxes for each task, under Morning, Midday, Evening and Night.
- An Initials row at the bottom, one box for each time of day, for whoever ticked.
- Large print. The title is 26 point, the task names and the time-of-day headings 18 point. Every second row has a pale tint, so the eye can follow a row across.
- Fill-in fields and tick boxes. Type the name and your own tasks, and tick on screen before you print, in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, or print it blank and tick by hand.
- No notes box, no pictures and no advice: a checklist only.
- Sizes: US Letter and A4, as two files.
What does each task on the checklist mean?
| Task | Tick it when |
|---|---|
| Medicines given | The medicines due at that time of day were given. Which medicines and doses goes on the medication list, not here |
| Meal or snack | The person had a meal or a snack |
| Drinks | The person was offered or had a drink |
| Bathroom help | Someone helped with the toilet or the bathroom |
| Washing and dressing | Someone helped with washing, a shower or getting dressed |
| Moving or walking | A walk, help getting up, or moving from a bed to a chair |
| Rest | A rest or a nap |
| Check-in call | Someone phoned or video called to check in |
| Your own tasks | Whatever your household adds, such as a pet fed, the mail brought in or the plants watered |
| Initials | Whoever ticked the boxes under that time of day |
The tasks printed are common everyday ones, for your household to tick, cross out or add to. Cross out a task that doesn't apply, and leave a box blank when a task wasn't needed.
How to use the checklist
- Fill in the name and any tasks of your own on the blank lines before you print, or write them by hand.
- Write the day and the date at the top of each new page.
- Put the page where care happens, in the same place every day: on the fridge, or on a clipboard by the person's chair.
- Tick a box when a task is done, in the column for that time of day.
- Leave a box blank when a task wasn't needed, and cross out a task that doesn't apply to this person.
- Write your initials in the Initials row under the time of day you ticked, so the next person knows whom to ask.
- Start a new page each day, and keep the old ones together, newest on top.
Which tasks go on a caregiver checklist?
The National Institute on Aging lists the help people often get at home. Personal care covers everyday activities, also called activities of daily living: bathing, dressing, grooming, using the toilet, eating and moving around. Beside those come household chores, meals, and health care such as giving medications. Our checklist prints eight of these everyday tasks, by time of day, and leaves two lines for the household's own.
The Alzheimer's Association's guidance on a daily care plan for a person living with dementia suggests allowing ample time for meals, bathing and dressing, keeping regular times for waking up and going to bed, and allowing for flexibility. A checklist does not set the routine: it is a place to tick what was done, so the routine your household has chosen is easy to follow from one helper to the next.
Who uses a daily caregiver checklist?
- Families sharing the day. The NIA notes that caregiving comes with many responsibilities that can be helpful to divide up among family and friends, and one page shows who did what.
- A family and a helper, so the morning visit and the evening visit tick the same page.
- Someone who checks in from far away, by phone: the check-in call row is theirs.
- A respite day, when a relative or a friend steps in and wants to know what is usually done.
Checklist or daily care log?
They work together, and many families keep both.
| Daily caregiver checklist | Daily care log | |
|---|---|---|
| How it is filled in | Ticks, by time of day | Short notes, on lines |
| What it shows | Which tasks were done, and when | What happened: meals, mood, sleep, visitors, anything new |
| Best for | Seeing at a glance what is still to do today | Telling the next person how the day went |
| Who reads it | Whoever helps next | The next person on duty, and the family |
Our guide to keeping a daily caregiver log has a free page of the log. When the hours themselves need a record, our free caregiver timesheet has time in, time out and initials for each day.
What this checklist is not
It is a checklist for your own routine. It is not a care plan, and it gives no advice about what care anyone needs: that is for the person, their family and their own doctor or nurse. Medicines given means the doses due were given; which medicines, how much and when come from the prescriber and the label, and belong on the medication list.
Our full Daily Caregiver Checklist adds a page for each day from Monday to Sunday, 4 blank lines for your own tasks instead of 2, and a weekly summary with one tick for each task done that day.
A daily caregiver checklist is one of the printable forms for family caregivers that families keep together in one binder.
Frequently asked questions
What should be on a daily caregiver checklist?
The everyday tasks your household does for the person, such as medicines given, meals, drinks, bathroom help, washing and dressing, moving or walking, and rest, with a box to tick at each time of day and a place for the initials of whoever ticked.
How do I use a caregiver checklist?
Write the name, the day and the date at the top. Tick a box when a task is done, in the column for that time of day, and write your initials in the Initials row. Leave a box blank when a task wasn't needed, and start a new page each day.
What is the difference between a caregiver checklist and a daily care log?
A checklist is ticked: it shows at a glance which tasks were done and when. A daily care log is written: it holds short notes about how the day went. Many families keep both.
Is the checklist a care plan?
No. It is a checklist for your household's own routine, and it gives no advice about what care anyone needs. The tasks printed on it are common everyday ones, for you to tick, cross out or add to.
Where can I get a free printable caregiver checklist?
Doctor Carissa's free checklist is a large-print PDF in US Letter and A4, sent by email: one day on a page with 8 everyday tasks, 2 blank lines for your own and a tick box for morning, midday, evening and night.
Free printables come with a personal-use license: how you can use a printable.
Sources
We opened and checked every link on October 23, 2026.
- Working Successfully with Home Care Services, Family Caregiver Alliance. A written schedule is useful as well; if there is more than one caregiver, it might even be essential to assure that all tasks are covered; a notebook in the home is essential if the care receiver has dementia, and the caregivers can communicate with each other or with you about how the plan is working.
- Aging in Place: Growing Older at Home, National Institute on Aging. Help at home includes personal care, help with everyday activities also called activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, grooming, using the toilet, eating and moving around), household chores, meals, and health care such as giving medications; it can come from family members, friends and neighbors.
- Caregiver Worksheets, National Institute on Aging. Caregiving comes with many responsibilities that can be helpful to divide up among family and friends; a free worksheet for identifying and sharing caregiving tasks with others.
- Daily Care Plan, Alzheimer's Association. Daily routines can be helpful for both the caregiver and the person living with Alzheimer's; allow ample time for meals, bathing and dressing, and regular times for waking up and going to bed; allow for flexibility; the person needs a balance of activity and rest.
An educational support tool. Not a substitute for evaluation or treatment by a licensed speech-language pathologist or physician. Read the full disclaimer.