Family Meeting
Agenda Template

Productive Caregiving Conversations

A structured approach to family discussions about caregiving responsibilities, decisions, and planning. Includes agenda templates, discussion guides, and action item tracking.

Meeting Details:

Date: ____________________

Time: ____________________

Location/Call: ____________________

Facilitator: ____________________

ParentCareGuide.com

Before the Meeting

Proper preparation leads to more productive family meetings.

Meeting Participants

Will attend Remote Cannot attend

Will attend Remote Cannot attend

Will attend Remote Cannot attend

Will attend Remote Cannot attend

Will attend Remote Cannot attend

Will attend Remote Cannot attend

Pre-Meeting Checklist

Set date/time that works for most family members
Send agenda to all participants in advance
Gather relevant documents (medical records, financial info, legal docs)
Assign a facilitator to keep discussion on track
Assign a note-taker to document decisions
Set up conference call/video for remote participants
Consider if parent should be included (or parts of meeting)

Meeting Purpose

Topics to Discuss

Current care situation and needs assessment
Division of caregiving responsibilities
Financial matters and care costs
Living situation / housing decisions
Medical decisions and healthcare
Legal documents (POA, will, advance directive)
Hiring outside help
Caregiver burnout / support needs
Other: ________________________________________

Meeting Agenda

Suggested meeting structure. Adjust times based on your needs.

1 Welcome & Ground Rules
5 minutes

Review purpose, set expectations for respectful discussion, confirm note-taker

2 Current Situation Update
15 minutes

Share updates on parent's health, current care arrangements, recent changes

3 Main Discussion Topic #1
20 minutes
4 Main Discussion Topic #2
20 minutes

Meeting Agenda (Continued)

5 Division of Responsibilities
15 minutes

Who will take on which tasks? Be specific about commitments.

6 Financial Discussion
15 minutes

Care costs, how expenses will be shared, financial planning

7 Action Items & Next Steps
10 minutes

Assign specific tasks with deadlines, schedule next meeting

Decisions Made

Document all decisions reached during the meeting.

Decision #1

Agreed by: All Majority | Dissent noted: _______________

Decision #2

Agreed by: All Majority | Dissent noted: _______________

Decision #3

Agreed by: All Majority | Dissent noted: _______________

Action Items

Assign specific tasks with clear owners and deadlines.

Task Assigned To Deadline Status

Responsibility Assignments

Caregiving Task/Area Primary Person Notes
Primary daily caregiver
Medical appointments
Medication management
Financial/bill paying
Grocery shopping
Transportation
Home maintenance
Respite/backup care
Communication coordinator

Next Meeting

Meeting Ground Rules

Agree on these guidelines at the start of every family meeting.

Suggested Ground Rules

Difficult Conversation Starters

Use these phrases to address sensitive topics:

About care needs:

"I've noticed Mom/Dad is having more difficulty with _______. What have others observed?"

About sharing responsibility:

"I want to make sure we're being fair about who does what. Can we talk about how to divide responsibilities based on what each of us can realistically contribute?"

About finances:

"Care is expensive. Let's look at the actual costs and figure out how we can handle them together."

About caregiver burnout:

"I'm feeling overwhelmed and need more support. Can we talk about ways to help me get some relief?"

About difficult decisions:

"This is hard for all of us, but we need to discuss options for _______. Let's hear everyone's thoughts."

If Conflict Arises