Senior Care · Define the Job

Caregiver job description for an elderly parent

Families often hire for the crisis in front of them and discover the real job later. Writing it down first — including the parts that are hard to say — is how you find someone who can actually do it.

Tammy Gold, LCSWSecrets of the Nanny Whisperer by Tammy Gold, published by Penguin
By Tammy Gold, LCSW
Author of Secrets of the Nanny Whisperer (Penguin)
Tammy Gold, LCSW, MSW
Columbia University
20 years in childcare placement & training

Book an hour with Tammy — $189 →

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What to include

  1. Care tasks — companionship, meals, medication reminders, mobility help, bathing, toileting, transportation
  2. Schedule — hours, days, overnights, and how often needs change
  3. Your parent — personality, routines, cognitive changes, and what tends to upset them
  4. Household — pets, stairs, other family members, and who the caregiver reports to
  5. Musts and deal-breakers — language, driving, experience with dementia, lifting ability

Plan for the next stage too

A parent's needs rarely stand still. Note what may change in the next six to twelve months — more mobility help, overnight care, memory changes — and ask candidates whether they could grow into that role.

Tammy Gold, LCSW, licensed clinical social workerSecrets of the Nanny Whisperer by Tammy Gold, published by Penguin
20 YEARS HELPING FAMILIES CHOOSE CARE

Guidance from a therapist who has spent 20 years helping families choose caregivers

Tammy Gold, LCSW, is the author of Secrets of the Nanny Whisperer (Penguin) and the founder of the Care Map Method™. She helps families define what a parent needs, evaluate caregivers and agencies, and set up care that lasts.

Book an hour with Tammy — $189 →  Press and media

What Tammy does with you

Book an hour and Tammy works through whichever step you’re on — with you, and where it helps, directly with your candidate.

Define the job
Duties, hours, and the kind of person your family needs — written down before you look.
Interview candidates
Tammy joins or leads the interview as a second set of eyes and ears.
Check references
Targeted calls that get past “she was great.”
Plan the trial
A structured trial shift, and a debrief on what it showed you.
Create the work agreement
Duties, schedule, pay terms, time off, and house rules in writing.
Onboard well
A first-30-days plan, set up with your new caregiver on the call.
A NEUTRAL EXPERT ON YOUR SIDE

Define the role with a clinician

Tammy assesses what your parent actually needs now and next, and turns it into a job description.

EXPERT SESSION · 60 MINUTES

$189

  • Map your parent's needs across all four domains
  • Write the role and the questions to screen for it
  • Plan for how the job will change
Book an hour with Tammy →
FREE

The Nanny Hiring Kit

Screening call, reference questions, clinical interview, and trial-day checklist.

Download free ↓

Questions first? Text (818) 308-1358 · info@caremapmethod.com

Tammy is not an agency and has no affiliation with, or financial interest in, any agency or caregiver you use. She provides independent guidance; decisions remain your family’s. Legal, tax, visa, and licensing questions belong with the appropriate professional or agency.