Before a helper walks in, someone in the house needs to know who to call and in what order. That answer often lives in one family member's head, a text thread, and a sticky note on the refrigerator. A printed phone sheet puts it in one place that anyone can read.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Gather the names before you write anything
Start with the people who can actually be reached. Write down the family member who makes the decisions, the other relatives who should hear about a change, the neighbor who has a key, the office of the agency providing support, and the family's doctor. For each name, ask whether that person would pick up at the hour you are most likely to need them. A daughter who works days should not be the only name on the sheet for the evening.
Next to each name, write the number, and next to the number, write when that person is usually free.
Put the sheet where the helper will look
A phone sheet tucked in a drawer does no good. Pick one spot near the door or the kitchen phone, and keep a copy inside the binder the agency will use. Put the house address and the nearest cross street on the same page, so a helper who needs to call for help can say exactly where they are without searching for it.
Test each number before the first visit
Call each one. You are not trying to talk about anything, only to see whether the call goes through, whether the voicemail box is set up, and whether the person answers as expected. Note the numbers that go to a full mailbox or to a line nobody checks. Ask the agency which of its numbers is answered after hours, and whether a helper on shift can reach a supervisor directly.
Keep the sheet current
Phone numbers change, people move, and the neighbor with a key may no longer be around. Set a reminder to check the sheet every few months, and again any time the schedule of support changes. When you confirm it, make a small mark in the corner, so the next person knows when it was last checked.
Walk the first day through it together
Put the sheet at the top of the list of things the helper reads on their first day. Go through it out loud, pointing to where the phone sits, which name to call first, and what counts as a call worth making. The goal is not to hand a helper a stack of worries. It is to make sure nobody has to hunt for a number while the person you care for is upset.
For a sense of how the day around these calls usually unfolds, see A Day of Support at Home. Health questions go to the family's doctor.