A new home care worker arrives on a Monday morning. They have the care plan, the medication list, and the key code. What they do not have is the person: that she was a school librarian for thirty years, that she takes her tea milky with no sugar, that she is “Margaret” and never “Maggie”, and that the radio on low is what settles her after lunch. When dementia makes it hard for someone to tell new people these things, every new helper starts from nothing, and small misses add up to a hard day for everyone.
An All About Me profile puts that knowledge on paper, in the person’s own voice, so it can travel with them. This page offers a free All About Me template for dementia: the likes and dislikes page from our care profile, to print and fill in, no email required. Below it: what an All About Me form is, what to write in each part, how to fill it in with the person, where to keep it, and how the full 11-section profile and its one-page At a Glance summary are organized.
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This is section 8 of All About Me: Dementia Care Profile, “Things I Like & Things I’d Rather Avoid”, from the print-and-write version. It has seven boxes: food and drink, music and television, hobbies and interests, comforting things, sounds, smells and textures, activities that calm, and what makes a good day. Free for personal, family, and care-program use.
- Section: 8 of 11, likes and dislikes
- Boxes: 7 to write in
- Voice: first person, “I” and “me”
- Version: print and write
- Paper: US Letter, portrait
What is an All About Me form for dementia?
An All About Me form is a short, person-centered profile of someone living with dementia, written as if they were speaking: “I like to be called…”, “Please do not…”, “What helps if I become anxious or upset.” It sits alongside the care plan rather than inside it. The care plan says what needs doing; the profile says who it is being done with, and how they would like it done.
Hospitals, care homes, and home care agencies often have their own version, sometimes called a personal profile, a care passport, or a life story booklet. They share one idea: anyone meeting the person for the first time should be able to read the essentials in a few minutes. A good profile covers four kinds of information:
Who I am
Background, life story, and the people who matter. A former job or a much-loved pet is often the easiest way into a conversation.
How I communicate
How the person understands what is said, how they show what they need, and where their glasses, hearing aids, or dentures are kept. Words with a private meaning belong here too.
My routines
A typical day from the morning routine to bedtime, with washing, dressing, meals, and sleep. Keeping to the familiar order of a day is one of the simplest things a new helper can do well.
What helps, and what to avoid
Likes and dislikes, what is comforting, what tends to upset, and what should never be done. The free page covers the likes and dislikes.
What to write in an All About Me profile
The full profile is 11 pages: a cover with space for a photograph, a page on how to use it, and 11 numbered sections. Grouped, they look like this:
If you read nothing else
Section 1 comes first on purpose: the name the person likes to be called, any name not to use, the most important things to know right now, the best way to communicate, what helps most if they become anxious or upset, and a “please do not…” box. It is written for anyone short of time.
Background, life story, and people
Sections 2 to 4: birthplace, places lived, languages (and the one they are most comfortable using), culture and faith; work, education, service, relationships, family, pets, achievements, and important events; then the people who matter, who should be involved in care, and people or subjects best not raised.
Personality and communication
Sections 5 and 6: how the person describes themselves, their sense of humor, what they enjoy talking about, what worries them, and how you can tell when they are content or distressed. Then how they best understand what is said, how they let you know what they need, words with a particular meaning, and how you will know if they are in pain or uncomfortable.
Daily routine and preferences
Section 7: a typical day, the morning and bedtime routines, sleep, washing and bathing, dressing and grooming, using the toilet, eating and drinking (including textures and allergies), and getting around.
Likes, comfort, and keeping well
Sections 8 and 9: the free page above, then health conditions it helps to know about, how the person shows they are unwell or in pain, sensory needs, what helps them feel safe and settled, what helps step by step if they become distressed, and things that should never be done.
In my own words, and a review date
Sections 10 and 11: what matters most to the person and what they would most like you to know, in their own words where possible, then who completed the profile, their relationship to the person, the date, and a date for review.
How to fill in an All About Me form
- Fill it in with the person. Sit down together and ask, rather than writing about them in another room. Where they cannot answer, a partner, son, daughter, or close friend can, and the last page records who did.
- Write in their voice. “I like a milky tea, no sugar” reads as a person; “Takes tea” reads as a chart. The first person also reminds every reader whose profile it is.
- Be specific. “Likes music” gives a helper nothing to do. “Big band records after lunch, never the news at mealtimes” does. Name the chair, the mug, the program, and the time of day.
- Write down what to avoid, kindly. A subject that upsets, a name they dislike, a fear of the shower spray: these are the notes that spare someone a bad hour. State them plainly and without judgment.
- Leave blanks. The profile says so itself: there are no wrong answers, and anything that does not apply can stay empty. A half-finished profile today is more useful than a perfect one next month.
- Date it, then review it. Who someone is stays the same; what they need does not. Look it over after any change in health, routine, or living situation, and set the next review date on the last page.
Where to keep it, and who should read it
A profile only helps if it is read at the right moment. Keep the full profile in one known place at home, and give a copy to everyone who shares the care: family, home care workers, the day program, and respite staff. The one-page At a Glance summary is the version to laminate and keep with the person, in a bag or by the bed, so that a new or temporary helper can read it on arrival.
Some moments matter more than others: a hospital admission or emergency visit, a respite stay, a move into a care home, and the first week with any new caregiver. If a hospital or care home has its own form, a completed profile makes it quick to fill in, and you can offer the profile alongside it.
When to start one
Early is best, while the person can still answer most of the questions and the “In my own words” section can truly be in their own words. A profile written in a calm month is also far easier than one written in a hospital corridor. If dementia is already advanced, a profile written by the people who know them well is still worth the time it takes.
Is an All About Me profile a medical record?
No. It records the person: their history, preferences, routines, and what helps. Section 9 has room for health conditions it helps a caregiver to know about and how the person shows pain, but the profile is not a medical record or a care plan, and it does not replace either. Medication lists, care plans, and legal documents such as advance directives stay where they are.
Worth knowing: this profile is a communication aid for daily living and care. It is not a medical record, a care plan, or a legal document, and it makes no claim to change the course of any condition. It does not replace advice from the person’s own healthcare team.
How the full profile is organized
The full All About Me: Dementia Care Profile is four PDFs: the 11-page profile and the one-page At a Glance summary, each in a print-and-write version and a fillable version to type into with a PDF editor.
| What you get | Free sample | Full set |
|---|---|---|
| Pages | 1 | 11-page profile and a 1-page summary |
| Sections | Section 8, likes and dislikes | All 11, from “If you read nothing else” to the review date |
| Life story, routines, and communication | Not included | Sections 2 to 7 |
| At a Glance summary | Not included | One page to laminate and keep with the person |
| Fillable version | Print and write only | Print-and-write and fillable PDFs of both |
| Review record | Not included | Who completed it, when, and a date for review |
Who uses an All About Me template
- Families getting ready for a hospital stay, respite, or a move into care
- Care homes and assisted living teams welcoming a new resident
- Home care agencies that want every visiting worker to know the person, not just the tasks
- Day programs and activity staff planning activities around real interests
- Occupational therapists, nurses, and social workers supporting person-centered care
The free page above comes from the full All About Me: Dementia Care Profile, with all 11 sections, the At a Glance summary, and fillable versions of both. It is also part of the Dementia Activities Bundle. Once you know the person’s story, the reminiscence cards offer 40 illustrated ways into it, and our free dementia activities for seniors can start from what they already enjoy. Everything is in the Dementia & memory care collection.
These materials support daily living and communication. They are not medical treatment or a medical record, and no specific therapeutic outcomes are claimed. If a person’s needs change quickly, speak with their physician.
