Aging in Place With Pets Checklist: Home, Care and Backup Plan

Older woman walking with her dog at home

Staying in your own home with your pets is a good goal, and it takes four things: a home that is safe to walk through, daily routines that fit your body, a written plan your caregivers can follow, and a way for someone to find out quickly if you can’t respond. This checklist covers all four, so you can work through it one section at a time.

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TL;DR

Table of Contents

Part 1: Make your home safer for you and your pets

Falls often happen where people and pets share space. Start with a slow walk through each room, looking at the floor.

Floors and walkways

Stairs and doors

Things pets can get into

AAHA’s list says to secure electrical cords, toxic plants, food, medications, chemicals, trash and cabinets, and to close toilet lids. If you keep houseplants, check each one before it comes home. This list of ASPCA-verified pet-safe houseplants is a good place to start.

If your pet is getting older too

AAHA’s senior care kit guidance suggests elevated bowls, ramps, mobility harnesses, accessible bedding, lower-sided litter boxes, nightlights and temperature control. Small changes like these help an aging pet get around without help from you.

Older dog using a ramp to reach its bed

Part 2: Make daily pet care easier on your body

You don’t have to give up routines you love. You can change how they work.

For more local help, see our guide to pet care help resources for seniors.

Part 3: Build your pet portfolio

The ASPCA recommends a pet portfolio: one place that holds everything a stranger would need to care for your animal. Keep it with your important papers in a spot that is safe but easy to reach.

Include:

The University of Pittsburgh’s aging-with-pets guide adds that a care letter should name the caregiver and the care location.

The ASPCA says to give copies to everyone in your pet’s circle of care. Our pet care emergency document essentials guide goes through each paper in detail, and the one-page handoff checklist gives you something to print.

Part 4: Choose your caregivers

A plan only works if real people have said yes.

  1. Pick a temporary caregiver. The ASPCA notes the person who steps in during an emergency need not be the person who takes your animals permanently. A neighbor or friend could check on pets during a hospital stay.
  2. Pick a permanent guardian. This can be a different person.
  3. Add a neighbor buddy. Best Friends Animal Society recommends local contacts, preferably neighbors, who can get into your home quickly.
  4. Add backups. The Humane Rescue Alliance suggests several care plans with neighbors, family, friends, pet sitters or boarding facilities, so pets can stay in trusted care rather than go to a shelter.
  5. Check in with them. The ASPCA says to contact your chosen caregivers periodically to confirm they are still willing and able.

Not sure who should do what? Our guide to pet caregiver roles breaks it into five assignments.

Part 5: Prepare for the day you can’t respond

This is the part most checklists skip, and it matters most if you live alone.

If you fall, are hospitalized or become confused, your pets may be alone for hours or days before anyone knows. The plan below closes that gap.

Make yourself findable

Authorize your caregiver

The AVMA says to name an authorized decision-maker and spell out what they need to know: contact routes, veterinary and medical information, treatment and euthanasia preferences, insurance and financial limits, payment arrangements and written authorization. AAHA adds that an authorization letter should include your contact information and time zone and who may make veterinary decisions.

Keep a go-bag ready

The University of Pittsburgh guide recommends a ready-to-grab bag with species-specific supplies: food, bowls, medicines, leashes, litter, waste bags, towels and a crate or carrier. Best Friends suggests a two-week supply of food, medications and care supplies. The ASPCA says to rotate food and medicines before they spoil or lose effect. For a hospital stay, see our pet hospital go bag list.

Know where pets can go

The CDC cautions that many local shelters and Red Cross evacuation centers don’t accept pets other than service animals. Line up pet-accepting hotels, friends or boarding facilities now. The ASPCA also advises keeping carriers, leashes and supplies near an exit.

Plan for memory changes

If you worry about cognitive decline, start earlier. We cover it in pet care planning for cognitive decline.

Our perspective

A paper plan is a good start, but it has one weakness: it only works if someone knows to use it. When you live alone, that is the hard part. Nobody notices a missed morning.

That is why we built MyPetsSafetyNet around a simple check-in. You choose a schedule and we reach out by text, phone call or email. If you don’t respond, our escalation workflow notifies your emergency contacts and sends them your pet’s care details, so they can check on you and your pets.

We designed it for people who don’t want to depend on a smartphone. It works with any phone through SMS or calls. We focus on pets, not just personal safety, and our alerts go to the caregivers you named, not to emergency services.

The checklist in this article and a check-in service work best together: the checklist tells your people what to do, and the check-in tells them when.

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Put your plan on autopilot

MyPetsSafetyNet sends scheduled check-ins by SMS, phone or email. If you don’t respond within the countdown you set, your emergency contacts get notified with your pets’ full care instructions. You can store up to 5 pets and 3 emergency contacts, and generate a pet care instruction card. Setup is designed to take less than 10 minutes, and there is a 7-day free trial with no credit card required. The Monthly plan is $6.99 per month.

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You can also read how living alone changes your pet care plan, or see the full emergency pet care plan.

Part 6: Keep the plan current

A plan from three years ago may point to a vet who has retired or a phone number nobody answers. The DARE Pet Promise Kit says to review the pet-care file once a year and whenever a vet, medication or phone number changes.

Your yearly review:

If you may someday move into senior living, read about pet-friendly care facilities early, since options vary.

The full checklist at a glance

Area Do this Done
Home Clear walkways, secure rugs, add nightlights, gate stairs ☐
Daily care Automatic feeder, adaptive tools, daily checklist ☐
Papers Pet portfolio, vaccination and vet records ☐
People Temporary caregiver, guardian, neighbor buddy ☐
Visibility Wallet alert card, door notice, contact sheet ☐
Supplies Go-bag, carrier, rotated food and medicine ☐
Alerting A check-in that tells caregivers when to step in ☐
Review Once a year and after any change ☐

FAQ

What should be on an aging in place with pets checklist?

It should cover a safer home, easier daily care, a pet portfolio, named caregivers and a way to alert them. Add a yearly review so the details stay accurate.

Who should I name as my pet’s emergency caregiver?

Choose someone who lives close, can get into your home and has agreed to help. The ASPCA says temporary and permanent caregivers can be different people. Name backups too.

How many emergency contacts do I need?

The ASPCA suggests two on your pet-alert card. MyPetsSafetyNet lets you add up to 3 emergency contacts, so you can cover more than one person.

Do I need a smartphone for a check-in service?

Not with MyPetsSafetyNet. It works with any phone by SMS or call, and you can set the schedule and countdown to suit your routine.

Sources