Caregiver Layer · Course 1

The First 30 Days. Day by day.

You just got the call. The diagnosis is real. The next 30 days are when the rest of your caregiving years either get a foundation — or don't. This course gives you the foundation: what to do today, what to do this week, and what to set up so the long arc is sustainable. Pairs with any condition-specific patient course.

Learn It
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Live It
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Welcome — and a deep breath first

You may have just had one of the worst days of your life. Before you start checking modules off, three things to know. (1) Caregiving is a skill. You can learn it. (2) The caregiver is a patient too — your wellness shows up later in this course because it's not optional. (3) The first 30 days are not when the long-arc decisions get made. They're when you build the team, gather the information, and stabilize. Big decisions go on a list to revisit on Day 30, not Day 3.

7-question Caregiver Readiness Self-Check (pre)

Same 7 questions before you start and again at Day 30. Watch the change. Honest answers — there are no wrong scores.

Baseline: not yet saved

Your Loved One's Care Team

Click any name to edit. This is the team you'll be coordinating with — not your team, but the medical and support team for the person you're caring for. Print it for the fridge. Take a photo for your phone. Update it as roles change.

Caregiver Burden Tracker (start here, revisit weekly)

A four-number snapshot of how the caregiving role is landing on you. Low scores aren't failure — they're data. Use them to decide when to call in respite, friends, or a clinician.

This week's snapshot

⚠ Zarit ≥ 21 → consider respite, support group, or counseling. Zarit ≥ 41 → talk with a clinician about your own care.

The 10 modules — a 30-day map

Click any module to open Learn It / Live It / Share It / Knowledge Check tabs. The same 5 questions per module appear before AND after — that's how you (and the platform) measure what you actually learned.

Chapter 1 · The First Week

Modules 1–3 · Days 1–7

Chapter 2 · Building the New Normal

Modules 4–6 · Days 8–30

Chapter 3 · The Long Arc

Modules 7–10 · Cross-arc thinking

Day 30 — Caregiver Readiness Self-Check (post)

Same 7 questions. Compare to your baseline. The shift is the point.

Day 30 Self-Check

Answer the same 7 items honestly — pre-vs-post lift is what we'll celebrate.

Day 30: not yet saved Lift: —

Force Field "When to Call" Card

Print this. Stick it on the fridge. Photograph it. The First-30-Days card is condition-agnostic — when you add a condition course, that course gives you a more specific card.

911 if right now:

Chest pain · Stroke signs (FAST: face droop, arm weakness, slurred speech, time to call) · Trouble breathing · Sudden severe headache · Loss of consciousness · Bleeding that won't stop · Suicidal statements with means.

Call the clinic same day if:

New confusion or much-worse confusion · Falls (even if no injury) · Fever · Vomiting more than once · Refusing food and water for >24 h · Any new medication side effect that worries you · Any sudden change in behavior.

911Emergencies
988Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Loved one's PCP555-555-0100
After-hours nurse line555-555-0101
Family Caregiver Alliance1-800-445-8106
Eldercare Locator1-800-677-1116

Where to go next

When you finish this 30-day course, layer on a condition course (caregiver or patient side), and start working through the Skills Lab artifacts most relevant to your situation.