The pocket booklet
The essentials of this whole site, on paper: when to call 911, the crisis cards with the exact words to say, and the numbers that matter. Print it once and keep it where the panic happens: by the phone, on the fridge, in the ER go-bag, or in the hands of whoever covers for you. When the internet is down or you can't think, paper still works.
Tip: in the print dialog, "Save as PDF" keeps a copy on your phone for offline reading. This booklet matches the live cards, so reprint after a big change.
When to call, in three lines
Call the doctor the same day for a sudden change over hours or a day or two: much more confused, not making sense, not knowing people they knew last week, new fever, or refusing to drink. Sudden is delirium until proven otherwise (often a urinary infection, dehydration, or a new medicine) and it is usually treatable, but only if you call.
For everything else, the Alzheimer's Association helpline below is answered free, every hour of every day, by people who have heard your exact situation before.
The numbers that matter
- Emergency: 911
- Alzheimer's Association, 24/7: 1-800-272-3900 (crisis coaching, any hour, 200+ languages)
- Poison Help, 24/7: 1-800-222-1222 (swallowed a medicine, cleaner, or unknown thing)
- 988: call or text, for your own darkest moments, any hour
- Eldercare Locator: 1-800-677-1116 (Mon–Fri: local respite, day programs, in-home help)
- NIA Alzheimer's line: 1-800-438-4380 (education and referrals)
- Their doctor: ____________________________
- Preferred hospital: ____________________________
- Call first if I'm hurt: ____________________________
The rules that never change
- Never argue with the disease. You will lose, and so will they. Meet the feeling, not the fact.
- Feelings over facts. Safety over honesty. Dignity over efficiency.
- Every behavior is a message with the words missing. Ask what it's really asking for: pain, fear, boredom, a full bladder, too much noise.
- One bad hour doesn't make a bad caregiver. They reset on every fresh moment; borrow that, and forgive yourself the same way.
The crisis cards
Each card: what to do, in order, with the exact words to say in italics. Written for the moment itself.
When it's you who's breaking
Cards for the caregiver's own hardest moments.
This booklet is the emergency core. The full guide, the tools, the state-by-state help, and your own saved notes are all at caregiverrest.com. If you're reading this on paper and something here has a phone number that no longer works, the Alzheimer's Association line (1-800-272-3900) can route you to nearly everything else.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. … and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 11:28–29