caregiver

By the Senior Safety Desk Editorial Team. Sources checked October 7, 2026. This is general education, not legal or medical advice, and it has not been reviewed by a named clinician or attorney. It does not describe care provided to you or your loved one. The short answer: under the federal HIPAA Privacy Rule, a hospital team may share relevant information with a family … [Read more...] about Who Can Receive Hospital Updates? Questions a Caregiver Can Ask Before a Stay

By the Senior Safety Desk Editorial Team. Sources checked October 6, 2026. The short answer: we suggest keeping one simple log, filling it in soon after every fall or near-fall, and bringing it to the appointment. For each event, write down when and where it happened, what the person was doing, how they felt before and afterward, what medicines or changes were recent, and … [Read more...] about How to Track Falls and Near-Falls for a Clinician

By the Senior Safety Desk Editorial Team This page is general education from the Senior Safety Desk editorial staff. It is not medical advice, it cannot tell you what is causing a change, and it has not been reviewed by a named clinician. It does not describe care provided to you or your loved one. If an older adult in your care suddenly seems more confused than usual, … [Read more...] about New Confusion in an Older Adult: What to Record and When to Seek Help

By the Senior Safety Desk Editorial Team The short answer: compare services on four things you can ask about and get in writing. Those are what tasks the caregiver may and may not do (scope), who checks the work and who steps in when someone is sick or a problem comes up (supervision), what you will pay and what is billed separately (costs), and what happens in an emergency … [Read more...] about How to Compare Home-Care Services Without Relying on Marketing Claims

Short answer: keep a brief, shared, fact-only log of changes from the person's usual routine, and tell them you are doing it and why. Write down what you see, not what you assume. Use it to prepare for appointments and care conversations, not to monitor every move. The rest of this guide shows how to set that up in a way that protects the person's dignity. This is general … [Read more...] about How to Track a Loved One’s Daily Function Without Turning It Into Surveillance