Outdoor work sits in the gap between a family's list and an agency's scope. A visit inside the house is easy to describe. The front walk, the curb bin, and the car path after a freeze are harder to assign. Decide them before the first hard freeze so nobody improvises on an icy slope.

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.

List the outdoor jobs

  • Trash and recycling: who moves the bin from the back gate to the curb, and who brings it back?
  • Walk and steps: who clears snow or wet leaves, and with what tool?
  • Mail, packages, and outdoor storage: who collects them, and who holds the key?
  • Lawn, beds, and gutters: who handles them, and how often during the growing months?

Check whether the agency scope reaches outside

Many in-home scopes cover tasks inside the house and stop at the threshold. Ask the office, in writing, whether exterior tasks are in scope and whether the aide will go outdoors at all. If the answer is no, the outdoor list belongs to the family, a neighbor, or a separate service the family hires directly.

Walk the route in the weather you will actually get

Walk the path the aide would take in rain and in cold. Note the slope, the steps, the handrails, and the light at the curb at the hour the trash goes out. A route that works in mild weather may fail in freezing weather, so plan around the worst month you expect rather than the easiest one.

Set the rule for bad weather

Write down what happens when the walk is icy: whether the visit moves indoors, shifts later, or is cancelled, and who tells the family first. Ask the agency to name the route its staff use when a visit cannot begin at the door, and whether that route changes the time billed or the tasks completed.

Split the list on paper

Divide the outdoor tasks into three columns: family, agency, and outside help. Give each task one owner and one backup. Then check the split against the week, because a storm lands on whatever day the calendar gives it. For a way to judge how much help is available where you live, see How to read a caregiver-supply map for your county.