Elderly care at home: a practical checklist for your lola

Lola still wants to cook her own sinigang. She also nearly slipped in the CR last week, forgot whether she'd taken her maintenance meds, and called your mother three times before lunch. Your brother says she's fine. Your OFW sister says get help now. Everyone in the group chat loves her, and nobody has a plan.

A plan doesn't have to be complicated. It needs to be written down so everyone (family, caregiver, and Lola herself) knows what happens and when. Use the checklists below as a starting point, and adjust for your lola.

This is practical, non-clinical guidance for families caring for an older adult at home in the Philippines. It is not medical or legal advice. For anything about diagnosis, medicines, wounds or sudden changes, talk to her doctor. Rates vary by caregiver, schedule and location.

Step 1: Make the house safer

Falls are one of the biggest worries families describe for an older parent living at home. Walk through the house at Lola's pace, at night, with the lights she'd actually use.

Home safety checklist

• Bathroom (CR): non-slip mat, a sturdy chair or stool for bathing, grab bar or a firm handhold near the toilet and shower
• Floors: remove loose rugs and doormats, tape down cords, keep walkways clear of tsinelas and boxes
• Lighting: a night light from bed to CR; switches she can reach without stretching
• Stairs: handrail on at least one side; if stairs are hard, consider moving her bedroom downstairs
• Bed: height she can sit and stand from easily; a lamp or light within reach
• Kitchen: move daily items to waist height; check the gas stove is turned off after use
• Heat: electric fan or aircon she can operate; water within reach
• Emergency numbers: written large and posted near the phone: family contacts, her doctor, the nearest hospital, and 911 (the national emergency hotline)

Step 2: Write down her day

A caregiver can't follow a routine that only exists in Mama's head. Write it like a simple timetable.

Table 1. Sample daily routine (adjust to your lola)

Note what Lola likes and dislikes, too: her favourite ulam, the teleserye she won't miss, the name she prefers to be called. These details make care feel like care, not a shift.

Step 3: Keep one medicines-and-doctors folder

Put everything in one place, physical or a shared folder on someone's phone.

• A current list of medicines: name, dose and time, exactly as the doctor prescribed
• Her doctors' names, clinics and numbers
• Latest prescriptions, lab results and discharge summaries
• Allergies, written at the top
• Her senior citizen ID, PhilHealth details and any insurance cards (copies, not originals, in the caregiver's folder)
• A simple log page: date, time, medicine given, blood pressure if the doctor asked you to track it

A caregiver can remind and assist; they shouldn't decide. The Caregivers' Welfare Act (RA 11965) lists assisting with home medications as prescribed by the physician among a caregiver's duties. Changing doses, skipping a medicine or starting a new one is for her doctor.

Step 4: Decide what help you actually need

Be honest about which hours the family can cover without someone burning out.

Table 2. Matching the need to the kind of help (Kalingap platform floors, 6 Oct 2026)

These are floors, not averages. Each caregiver sets their own rate above the floor. For monthly employment figures (kasambahay minimums, live-in yaya ranges, agency shifts), see our Metro Manila cost guide.

If Lola needs oxygen, tube feeding, wound care or other clinical care, talk to her doctor about a licensed nurse or home-health provider first.

Step 5: Write the caregiver's scope

"Bantayan lang si Lola" (just keep an eye on Lola) has a way of turning into cooking for the whole family, laundry and cleaning the house. Write down what the job is, and isn't.

Caregiver scope checklist

• Care tasks: bathing, dressing, toileting, meals, mobility help, medicine reminders, companionship
• Household tasks (if any): Lola's own laundry, her room, her meals. Anything for the whole household is agreed and paid separately
• Hours: start and end time, breaks, and what counts as overtime
• Rest: for live-in, real rest every day and a weekly rest day, agreed in writing
• Pay: rate, when and how it's paid, and who in the family pays
• Not included: clinical procedures, changing medicines, driving (unless agreed), handling ATM cards or PINs
• Updates: how often and to whom (one family contact is best)

If you employ someone full-time, the law expects a written contract. The Batas Kasambahay (RA 10361) and RA 11965 both list what it should cover: duties, hours, pay, rest days, leave, and board and lodging. Our post on scope creep and "all-around" helpers has a sample scope table.

Step 6: Choose and check the caregiver

• See a government ID and match the face
• Check an NBI or police clearance, and note the issue date
• Ask about elderly-care experience: dementia, stroke, bedridden, diabetes
• Ask if they hold TESDA Caregiving NC II, which covers care for the elderly and people with special needs, among other competencies
• Have Lola meet them first; her comfort matters
• Start with a short paid trial shift

On Kalingap, every badge names the check behind it, for example NBI checked, ID matched, Interviewed or NC II. Our team reviews documents such as a government ID (front and back); caregivers may also submit an NC II Caregiving certificate and complete a team interview. Not every badge appears on every profile, and approval can complete without a scheduled interview when policy allows. Read the badges on each profile, and still meet the person.

Step 7: Plan for the bad days

• A backup caregiver or family member for rest days and sick days
• A "go bag" for hospital trips: medicines list, IDs, a change of clothes, phone charger
• Who drives, and which hospital you'll go to
• A short weekly check-in with the caregiver: what's working, what's harder, what Lola needs now

When to call the doctor (or go to the ER)

Call her doctor about any new confusion, a fall, refusing food or water, new pain, or a medicine reaction. For anything that looks like an emergency, such as trouble breathing, chest pain, a sudden one-sided weakness or a fall with injury, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. The caregiver's job is to notice and raise the alarm fast.

---

Kalingap is a marketplace that connects families with independent caregivers. It is not an employment agency or a medical provider. Caregivers provide non-clinical home help; involve a doctor or licensed nurse for medical decisions, medicines, wound care or any sudden change. Rates vary by caregiver, schedule and location. This checklist is general guidance, not medical or legal advice. Last reviewed 6 October 2026.

Sources (accessed 6 October 2026)

1. Republic Act No. 11965, Caregivers' Welfare Act (caregiver duties, Sec. 7; contract terms, Sec. 5): https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2023/ra_11965_2023.html
2. Republic Act No. 10361, Batas Kasambahay (employment contract, rest periods): https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2013/ra_10361_2013.html
3. TESDA, Training Regulations: Caregiving NC II (competencies incl. care and support to the elderly): https://tesda.gov.ph/Downloadables/TR%20Caregiving%20NC%20II.pdf
4. NBI Clearance (official portal): https://clearance.nbi.gov.ph/
5. Executive Order No. 56 (2018), Institutionalizing the Emergency 911 Hotline (Lawphil): https://lawphil.net/executive/execord/eo2018/eo_56_2018.html · Emergency 911 National Office: https://e911.gov.ph/emergency-call/
6. Kalingap service pages (platform rate floors and minimum booking lengths): https://www.kalingap.app/services/elderly_care · https://www.kalingap.app/services/appointment_companion · https://www.kalingap.app/services/overnight_care · https://www.kalingap.app/services/post_surgery · https://www.kalingap.app/services/live_in · https://www.kalingap.app/services/hospital_watcher
7. Kalingap, How it works (named verification checks): https://www.kalingap.app/how-it-works
8. Related Kalingap guides: How much does a caregiver cost in Metro Manila? · "All-around" is not unlimited