How to plan caregiver and nurse roles

Sort the day into three lists — what the person still does alone, what needs a prompt, and the two or three moments where someone must physically be there. That third list, more than any label, sets how many hours caregiver and nurse roles actually needs.

Use the questions on this page during a real discussion about care. Record agreements, unresolved points, professional instructions and the next action instead of relying on memory.

Turn the notes into a short written brief: the routine, the risks, the preferences that matter, and who in the family decides and receives updates. A brief a competent stranger could follow is worth more than an hour of conversation.

Note what remains independent as carefully as what needs help. Removing an ability the person still values is the quickest way to make sound support for caregiver and nurse roles unwelcome, so protect it in writing from the start.

Throughout caregiver and nurse roles, keep daily-living support separate from clinical work. Personal-care routines, meals, companionship and agreed mobility assistance can form a caregiver brief. Assessment, treatment, medication administration and anything needing clinical judgement stays with appropriately qualified healthcare professionals, and urgent symptoms mean calling 999 first.

What to have ready

• The current professional plan or instructions
• The options actually available in your situation
• The specific decision or comparison being made
• Budget, hours and practical constraints
• Who is affected by the decision and how