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For the people caring for their people.Ontario guidance · GTA local help
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02 / Help at home · Ontario

They need more help.
What can we afford?

Start with the parts of everyday life your parent wants to keep doing. Choose what needs support, explore the options, then put a manageable week on paper.

A free family planning tool · No account needed
Published by The Vetted Senior · Meet our founder

Begin with your parent

“Which parts of the day would you welcome a little help with?”

Their preferences, routines, language and comfort belong in the plan. For personal or clinical care, ask the care team what skills and support are needed.

01 / Notice the everyday

What’s getting harder?

Choose the tasks you want to talk through. Start with one or two; you can come back to the rest.

Tasks to plan together
Compare the ways to get help ↓

Changing your choices here does not remove entries you have already made below.

02 / Understand the options

A mix of help can make a week work.

Different services do different jobs. Open an option to see what to ask and where to begin.

Public home careAssessment first · Confirm the care arranged

Ontario Health atHome assesses needs and eligibility for publicly funded home care. Ask what services fit your parent’s needs, when they can start and who to contact if needs change. An assessment or referral is not a confirmed visit.

Ask: “Which tasks will the service cover, on which days, and what should we do while we wait?”

Call 1-833-515-1234Read about Ontario Health atHome ↗
Community servicesLocal programmes · Fees and eligibility vary

Explore meal delivery, rides, friendly visiting, social programmes or respite. Some services have fees, and local availability varies. 211 Ontario can help you find a starting point.

Ask: “Do you serve this area, what does it cost, is a referral needed, and is there a waiting list?”

Call 211Find community support ↗
Family & friendsSpecific tasks · A commitment people can sustain

Agree on tasks and times, including work, travel, rest and a backup. A willingness to help becomes useful when everyone knows what has been agreed. Ask the care team before taking on tasks that need training or professional support.

Ask: “What can you reliably take on this week, and who will cover if that changes?”

Put agreed help in the weekly plan ↓
Paid helpA written quote · The right person for the task

Ask providers to quote for the same tasks and schedule. Check the skills required, minimum visit lengths, extra charges, cancellation terms and backup arrangements. Confirm the visits before marking them as covered.

Ask: “What is the full cost for these visits, what is included, and what happens if someone cannot come?”

Questions to ask a provider Find local starting points

03 / Make the next week clearer

Your weekly support plan.

Use one entry per visit pattern. If the same visit covers several tasks, enter it once under its main task. Add a separate entry when the time or person changes.

Loading your worksheet…

Anyone using this browser may see it. Use roles instead of full names, and leave out health records, passwords and account details.

The Vetted Senior · Weekly support worksheet · thevettedsenior.com

No visits entered yet. Write down the task, days, time, person or service, and what still needs arranging.

Backup / changes to discuss: _____________________________________________________

This is a conversation and scheduling aid. The right skills, timing and backup still need to be confirmed with your parent and the people providing support.

See my next steps
Five next steps to keep handy.Save the calls and conversations you want to follow up.

  1. Map the tasks, together.

    Talk through a usual day with your parent. Note where help would be welcome and when it is needed. Ask a health professional about tasks that need clinical or specialist input.

  2. Ask about a home-care assessment.

    Contact Ontario Health atHome about an assessment of needs and eligibility. If support is already in place and needs have changed, ask for a reassessment.

  3. Look for community support.

    Use 211 Ontario to explore local meals, transportation, social programmes and practical support. Ask each service about eligibility, fees, availability and how to apply.

  4. Be realistic about family help.

    Agree specific tasks and times each person can sustain. Include travel, work and rest. Build in a backup and avoid counting the same visit twice.

  5. Price the remaining gap.

    Request written quotes for the tasks and visits still needed. Confirm minimum visit lengths, travel, weekend fees, applicable tax and cancellation terms. Compare the same schedule across providers.

Loading your next steps…

Open my next steps

When a gap remains

The next conversation matters.

If services are not yet arranged, ask the care coordinator about available alternatives, reassessment when needs change, and what to do while waiting. Build a backup with the people involved.

Ontario Health atHome: 1-833-515-1234

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Follow the sources. Source pages checked 27 September 2026. This is navigation guidance, not a clinical assessment.