Free tools for dementia caregivers

Free tools, no sign-up

Caring for someone with dementia comes with a lot of paperwork and a lot of guesswork.

These tools are meant to cut down on both. Every one is free, works on a phone, and asks for nothing in return: no account, no required email, and no information stored by us. The printable templates work best on paper; print a stack and keep them in a folder by the fridge.

Which dementia caregiver tool to use first

Pick the row that sounds most like this week.

Most families end up using three or four of them within the first few months.

How long each tool takes

None of these needs a free afternoon. Rough times for a first go:

Doing one small piece a day is enough; the point is to have the pages ready before a hard week, not to finish everything at once.

Dementia caregiver tools through the stages

The Alzheimer’s Association describes three broad stages that overlap. Different tools earn their place at different times.

Early stage

Your loved one may still drive, work and socialize, and the Association calls this the best time for legal, financial and end-of-life planning. The cost calculator helps you plan ahead while there is time, and the stage checker gives you a baseline to compare against later. Fill in the hospital information sheet now, together, while your loved one can tell you what they want staff to know about them.

Middle stage

Usually the longest stage, it often brings night-time restlessness, wandering and more help with dressing and bathing. This is where the daily routine planner and the care log do the most work, and where the burnout check matters for you. Review the routine monthly, because what worked in spring may not work by fall.

Late stage

Around-the-clock care is needed, and your loved one may find it hard to tell anyone about pain. Use the care log’s notes column for signs of discomfort, keep the hospital sheet current with any swallowing problems, and see our glossary entries on hospice and palliative care.

How to use these tools well

Start with the questions you have today

If money is the worry, start with the cost calculator and then read the full cost of dementia care in Florida guide. If you’re not sure how far things have progressed, the stage checker and our guide to the stages of dementia are a good pair. If you are the one struggling, take the burnout check first. Your health matters to your loved one’s care.

Use the printables as a family record

Doctors often ask questions families can’t answer from memory: how many nights a week was sleep broken, when did the confusion start, how much is your loved one drinking? A week or two of the care log answers those clearly. The hospital information sheet does the same job in an emergency, when the person who knows the most may not be in the room.

Know what the tools can’t do

None of these tools diagnose, measure or treat anything. They are prompts for better conversations with your loved one’s doctor, your family and the people who help you. If something changes suddenly, such as new confusion over hours or days, call the doctor; sudden changes can be a sign of infection or delirium rather than dementia itself.

Getting ready for a doctor visit

1. Two weeks before, start or update the care log every day.
2. A few days before, run the stage checker and note which statements you ticked.
3. Write your top three questions at the top of the log.
4. Bring the medication list from the hospital sheet, with any changes marked.

If your loved one tends to tell the doctor everything is fine, send a short written summary to the office ahead of time rather than correcting them in the room.

The go-bag and hurricane season

The same papers that help in an ER help in an evacuation. Keep a printed hospital information sheet, the last two weeks of the care log, the routine planner and copies of legal documents together in a waterproof bag. Our hurricane preparedness guide covers the rest of the kit, and the wandering guide explains why a recent photo belongs in the bag too.

Numbers to keep next to the printables

Tools help you plan; people help in the moment. Write these on the inside cover of your folder:

• Alzheimer’s Association Helpline, 800-272-3900: free, open 24 hours a day, every day, with interpreters in more than 200 languages.
• Florida Elder Helpline, 1-800-963-5337: connects you to your local Aging and Disability Resource Center for programs and respite.
• 988: the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, by call or text, if you are in crisis.
• 911 if your loved one goes missing; tell the dispatcher they have dementia. FDLE’s missing persons clearinghouse is 1-888-356-4774.

More numbers by region are in the Florida dementia resources directory.

Florida cost context in one glance

The calculator compares your schedule with CareScout’s 2025 Florida medians: about $73,216 a year for a non-medical caregiver at 44 hours a week, $67,320 for assisted living, and $124,100 to $146,000 for a nursing home room. Our own rate is $35 an hour for 40+ hours a week; call us about shorter schedules.

Sharing the tools with your family

• Print a set for each household that helps, and keep one master copy.
• Photograph the filled-in hospital sheet and routine planner so everyone has them on their phone.
• Agree who updates the care log each day, even if it is just one line.
• Bring the burnout check to a family meeting; it opens the conversation about sharing the load.

When everyone works from the same pages, your loved one gets the same day no matter who is helping.

More free resources

• Dementia activities gallery: 30 ideas sorted by stage and type, including Florida outdoor activities with heat precautions.
• Dementia glossary: plain-English definitions of terms like sundowning, anosognosia and respite care.
• Florida dementia resources: state and local programs, helplines and clinics.
• Paying for dementia care: Medicare, Florida Medicaid, VA benefits and long-term-care insurance explained.
• Care comparisons: in-home care, memory care, assisted living and nursing homes side by side.