Notes from a caregiver building for caregivers.
-
Keeping four professionals in sync without becoming a switchboard
The neurologist doesn't talk to the OT, and no software fixes that. A single running page, updated in minutes after each visit, does the job instead.
-
The sibling who is doing fine
The child who never asks for anything isn't fine by default. Fifteen predictable minutes a week reassures them more than one big occasional weekend does.
-
What a month of tracking actually shows you
You logged every day for a month and never read it back. The second look takes about four minutes, on paper or in CareHaven's Patterns screen.
-
What to actually do with the paper pile
A three-pile rule for evaluations, denial letters, IEPs, and discharge summaries — sort in one afternoon, and know exactly what is worth scanning.
-
Leaving early is a plan, not a failure
Deciding how you will leave the store, the party or the waiting room before you walk in changes what the whole outing costs everybody in the car.
-
How to watch a medication change without making yourself crazy
A medication change turns into weeks of second-guessing if you track everything. Watch two things, at the same time each day, and trust what you see.
-
Transition warnings that work (and the one that never does)
A spoken countdown asks a child to picture a length of time. What ends a transition standoff is a timer they can watch, not a warning they have to hear.
-
The handoff sheet that fits on one page
A one-page brief for whoever steps in tonight — what today looked like, what's different, and who to call if it stops going to plan.
-
How to read an evaluation report without spiraling
Read it back to front. The recommendations are the only part that turns into anything, and the narrative in the middle was written for a file.
-
When the school says "we don't do that here"
Three questions that tell you whether a school's no is a real policy or an old habit, and what to do with each answer.
-
Writing instructions a respite worker can actually follow
The rules your family has never said out loud are the ones a respite worker can't guess. How to find them, write them down, and test the sheet.
-
Turning six weeks of seizure notes into something a neurologist can use
Six weeks of seizure notes is a pile. The visit needs the pattern — how often, how long, what time of day, what came before — and how to walk in holding it.
-
Asking for an IEP meeting without apologizing for asking
You do not need a reason that sounds serious enough to request an IEP meeting. You need a date, a written request, and a short list of what should change.
-
The invisible work nobody schedules — and why you are always behind
The refills, renewals, and expiring forms that never land on a calendar — why they keep you feeling behind, and a twenty-minute audit that pins them down.
-
What to bring to a specialist appointment (and what to leave at home)
Twenty minutes, a specialist meeting your child's chart for the first time, and months of your life to convey. Bring one page and one clear ask.
-
How to brief a substitute teacher about your child in five minutes
The version of this conversation that fails is the one where you tried to say everything. Here are the five things that actually transfer, in order.
The Handoff Sheet
One page for what to leave with a sitter, a substitute teacher, or a respite worker. Free PDF. Useful even if you never install the app.
Get the Handoff Sheet →