What should you check when visiting an elderly parent?
Short answer: 20 items, from adequate heating for winter through to weight or appetite changes since last visit. The complete Visiting an Elderly Parent — Check While There checklist is written out below — and the exact same 20 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Visiting an Elderly Parent — Check While There checklist — all 20 items
- Adequate heating for winter
- Any scam mail, phone messages, or bank calls to ask about
- Bills paid and no red-letter notices sitting unopened
- Bin day and rubbish taken out
- Car warrant, rego, and driving safety if they still drive
- Contact numbers for GP, pharmacy, and next of kin up to date
- Emergency contact list visible by the phone
- Enough light bulbs working, especially on stairs
- Enough repeat prescriptions to last until your next visit
- Expired food in the fridge and pantry
- Fridge and pantry stocked with easy meals
- Grab rails secure in the bathroom and by steps
- Hearing aid batteries and glasses in good order
- Medical alarm working and worn, not left in a drawer
- Medications being taken correctly and on schedule
- Mood and mental wellbeing — a proper check-in, not just small talk
- Non-slip mats in the shower and bath
- Smoke alarms — test them, check the battery date
- Trip hazards — loose rugs, cords, clutter in walkways
- Weight or appetite changes since last visit
Visits to an ageing parent have two agendas: the cup of tea, and the quiet audit nobody names. Is the fridge stocked with real food? Are the pills being taken or accumulating? Is the smoke alarm working, the bath mat gripping, the mail opened, the heater safe? Love does the noticing; a list makes sure the noticing is complete.
This check list is the gentle sweep to run while the kettle boils: food and meds, warmth and safety hazards, mail and bills, the car if there is one, and how they seem — mood, memory, mobility — compared with last time. Tick it discreetly on your phone and you'll catch the slow changes that weekly phone calls are designed to hide.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "check the smoke alarm" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What should you check when visiting an elderly parent?
You need 20 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from adequate heating for winter through to weight or appetite changes since last visit — and the same 20 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=visiting%20an%20elderly%20parent%20-%20check%20while%20there opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Visiting an Elderly Parent — Check While There list (20 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.