"When did this start?"

The ER doctor asked, "When did this start?" I didn't know. Nobody had written anything down.

That's the moment a caregiver log stops being paperwork. Symptoms creep. Appetites change a little at a time. If nobody records the baseline, nobody can prove the change — and the person who suffers is the one you're caring for.

The Caregiver Daily Log is the one my family uses: meds, meals, mood, sleep, and the small notes that turn out to matter at the next appointment.

What the log tracks

• Medications given, and when

• Meals and appetite

• Sleep

• Mood and behavior changes

• Symptoms — and when they started

• Questions for the next appointment