SagebeamSagebeam

What to do after a mini stroke (TIA): a family follow-up worksheet

After a mini stroke (TIA), the follow-up the care team orders is easy to lose track of. A printable family worksheet: each test and appointment as the care team wrote it, who books it, whether the result came back and who reviewed it with you — plus the CDC's B.E. F.A.S.T. warning signs, quoted word for word.

By Rachel Moore, Founder, Sagebeam · Published September 2026 · How we research and review our guides

Part of: Medical transitions for aging parents – before/after plan

If anything ever seems like an emergency, call 911. The CDC's stroke warning-sign check is quoted word for word below.

If your parent hasn't been seen yet, start with the CDC's guidance: "If you think you or someone you know has had a TIA, tell a health care team about the symptoms right away."

Jump straight to the worksheet ↓

If your parent's care team diagnosed a TIA — a transient ischemic attack, often called a "mini-stroke" — and sent your parent home with tests and appointments to follow, the family inherits a coordination job. Tests report to different offices. There may be a referral or two, and new medicines. And several family members are trying to keep track of it all from different houses.

This page is a printable after-a-TIA follow-up worksheet for that stretch: every test, appointment, and referral exactly as the care team wrote it, who ordered it, who books it, whether it happened, whether the result came back, and which clinician reviewed it with you — plus the CDC's stroke warning signs at the top of the sheet, and a readings log for anything the care team asked the family to measure at home.

What this worksheet is not: a guide to which tests your parent should have or how soon. It names none — those decisions belong to your parent's care team, and the timeframes they gave are the ones that count. It also isn't a stroke recovery plan. If the care team diagnosed a stroke rather than a TIA, start with caring for a parent after a stroke: the first weeks home.

This article is educational and is not medical advice. Follow your parent's care team's instructions for every test, medicine, and appointment. If anything ever seems like an emergency, call 911.

Related resources:

On this page:

Quick answer: the family's part after a TIA

  1. Keep the warning signs where everyone can see them — the CDC's B.E. F.A.S.T. check below, on the fridge and saved in the family's phones.
  2. Get the follow-up plan in writing before your parent leaves the emergency room or hospital — each test, appointment, and referral, who ordered it, and the timeframe the care team gave.
  3. Track each item to the finish — booked, done, result received, and reviewed with you by a named clinician.
  4. Keep only the readings the care team asked for, recorded the way they asked.
  5. Bring the worksheet to the follow-up visit, with your questions written down.

The warning signs: the CDC's B.E. F.A.S.T. check

This is the one part of the worksheet that doesn't come from your parent's care team, and it's quoted word for word from the CDC's page on the signs and symptoms of stroke:

If you think someone may be having a stroke, B.E. F.A.S.T. and do the following test:

  • B—Balance Loss: Ask the person if they are feeling off-balance or dizzy.
  • E—Eye (Vision) Changes: Ask the person if they have trouble seeing normally.
  • F—Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
  • A—Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
  • S—Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?
  • T—Time: If you see any of these signs, call 9-1-1 right away.

Note the time when any symptoms first appear. This information helps health care providers determine the best treatment.

Do not drive to the hospital or let someone else drive you. Call 9-1-1 for an ambulance so that medical personnel can begin life-saving treatment on the way to the emergency room.

On a TIA specifically, the same CDC page says:

If your stroke symptoms go away after a few minutes, you may have had a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also sometimes called a "mini-stroke." Although brief, a TIA is a sign of a serious condition that will not go away without medical help.

Unfortunately, because TIAs clear up, many people ignore them. But paying attention to a TIA can save your life. If you think you or someone you know has had a TIA, tell a health care team about the symptoms right away.

The worksheet repeats the B.E. F.A.S.T. lines at the top, so the check travels with the sheet.

Get the follow-up plan in writing

Before your parent leaves the emergency room or hospital — or on the first call with the clinician coordinating the follow-up — ask for the plan in writing and copy it onto the worksheet:

  • Every test, appointment, and referral the care team ordered, named exactly as they wrote it — including anything ordered but not booked yet.
  • Who ordered each one, and who books it — the office, or the family.
  • The timeframe the care team gave for each, copied exactly. If none is written down, ask the ordering office; don't set one yourself.
  • Who will review each result with you, and how you'll hear about it.
  • Who to call with questions, during the day and after hours.

New or changed medicines from the discharge list go on the caregiver medication list. If a test name is unfamiliar, two questions from questions to ask when a parent starts seeing new specialists fit well: "What are you looking for with this test?" and "What decisions will this result help you make?" MedlinePlus's TIA page is a plain-language backgrounder; your parent's care team's plan is the one to follow.

After-a-TIA follow-up worksheet (copy and print)

Print it, fill in the header and the list from the discharge papers, and keep it where the whole family can see it — the fridge, a shared folder, a photo in the family group chat.

AFTER A TIA — FAMILY FOLLOW-UP WORKSHEET

Person: ____________________  Date of the TIA: __________
Where your parent was seen: _____________________________________
Clinician coordinating the follow-up: ______________  Phone: ____
After hours: _______________  Family point person: _____________

WARNING SIGNS — quoted word for word from the CDC
(cdc.gov/stroke/signs-symptoms)

  "If you think someone may be having a stroke, B.E. F.A.S.T. and
  do the following test:
  B—Balance Loss: Ask the person if they are feeling off-balance
  or dizzy.
  E—Eye (Vision) Changes: Ask the person if they have trouble
  seeing normally.
  F—Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
  A—Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift
  downward?
  S—Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech
  slurred or strange?
  T—Time: If you see any of these signs, call 9-1-1 right away.
  Note the time when any symptoms first appear. This information
  helps health care providers determine the best treatment.
  Do not drive to the hospital or let someone else drive you. Call
  9-1-1 for an ambulance so that medical personnel can begin
  life-saving treatment on the way to the emergency room."

  If anything ever seems like an emergency, call 911.

TESTS, APPOINTMENTS, AND REFERRALS THE CARE TEAM ORDERED
(copy each one exactly as written — booked or not yet; never add
or drop one on your own; ask the ordering office about anything
unclear)

  1. As the care team wrote it: _________________________________
     Ordered by: ______________  Timeframe the team gave: ________
     Booked by:  office / family
     Family member making sure it gets booked: __________________
     Booked for (date, time, place): ____________________________
     Done on: ______________   Result received on: _____________
     Reviewed with (which clinician): ____________  On: _________
     Their next step, as they said it: __________________________
     Questions: _________________________________________________

  2. As the care team wrote it: _________________________________
     Ordered by: ______________  Timeframe the team gave: ________
     Booked by:  office / family
     Family member making sure it gets booked: __________________
     Booked for (date, time, place): ____________________________
     Done on: ______________   Result received on: _____________
     Reviewed with (which clinician): ____________  On: _________
     Their next step, as they said it: __________________________
     Questions: _________________________________________________

  3. As the care team wrote it: _________________________________
     Ordered by: ______________  Timeframe the team gave: ________
     Booked by:  office / family
     Family member making sure it gets booked: __________________
     Booked for (date, time, place): ____________________________
     Done on: ______________   Result received on: _____________
     Reviewed with (which clinician): ____________  On: _________
     Their next step, as they said it: __________________________
     Questions: _________________________________________________

  4. As the care team wrote it: _________________________________
     Ordered by: ______________  Timeframe the team gave: ________
     Booked by:  office / family
     Family member making sure it gets booked: __________________
     Booked for (date, time, place): ____________________________
     Done on: ______________   Result received on: _____________
     Reviewed with (which clinician): ____________  On: _________
     Their next step, as they said it: __________________________
     Questions: _________________________________________________

  5. As the care team wrote it: _________________________________
     Ordered by: ______________  Timeframe the team gave: ________
     Booked by:  office / family
     Family member making sure it gets booked: __________________
     Booked for (date, time, place): ____________________________
     Done on: ______________   Result received on: _____________
     Reviewed with (which clinician): ____________  On: _________
     Their next step, as they said it: __________________________
     Questions: _________________________________________________

  New or changed medicines copied to the medication list?  Y / N
  By: _______________  On: __________

READINGS AT HOME — only if the care team asked for them
  What to measure, how, and how often (copy exactly): ____________
  ________________________________________________________________
  Who gets the readings, and how: ________________________________
  When the care team wants a call (copy exactly): ________________
  ________________________________________________________________

  Date     Time     Reading (as shown)     Notes            Initials
  (add rows, or print a second sheet, as the readings need)
  _______  ______   ____________________   ______________   ________
  _______  ______   ____________________   ______________   ________
  _______  ______   ____________________   ______________   ________
  _______  ______   ____________________   ______________   ________
  _______  ______   ____________________   ______________   ________
  _______  ______   ____________________   ______________   ________
  _______  ______   ____________________   ______________   ________
  _______  ______   ____________________   ______________   ________

QUESTIONS FOR THE FOLLOW-UP VISIT (bring this strip)
  - Have all the results come back, and who has reviewed them?
  - Is anything that was ordered still not booked?
  - Who should we call with questions, and when?
  - ______________________________________________________________
  - ______________________________________________________________

Results: the step that goes missing

A test being done isn't the same as someone going over the result with you. Results can go to whichever clinician ordered the test, a referral can sit unscheduled until someone calls, and a family spread across several houses can each assume someone else followed up. That's why the worksheet asks separate questions for every item — done, result received, and reviewed with which clinician, when, and what they said the next step is. That last line is the one that closes the loop.

When you book each test, ask "How and when will we hear about the result?" and write the answer next to it. If that time passes with no word, call the office that ordered it. The "reviewed with" line stays blank until someone on the care team has actually gone over the result with you.

Readings at home — only the ones the care team asked for

If your parent's care team asked the family to take readings at home — blood pressure, for example — copy exactly what they asked for into the worksheet: what to measure, how, how often, who gets the numbers, and when they want a call. Write each reading exactly as the device shows it, with the date and time.

The worksheet doesn't grade readings, and this page has no numbers of its own: what a reading means is the care team's call, made against the instructions they gave you. If no one asked for readings, leave that section blank.

Bring the worksheet to the follow-up visit

The follow-up visit is where the pieces come together — results from different tests, sometimes from different offices. The worksheet shows at a glance what was ordered, what happened, and what's still open, and the questions strip means the questions get asked in the room instead of remembered in the car. For the visit itself, pair it with the post-hospital follow-up appointment prep checklist.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should the family do after a parent's mini stroke (TIA)?

If your parent hasn't been seen yet, start with the CDC's guidance, quoted on this page: "If you think you or someone you know has had a TIA, tell a health care team about the symptoms right away." Once the care team has seen your parent, the family's part is the follow-up: get every test, appointment, and referral in writing along with the timeframe the team gave, track each one until someone on the care team has reviewed the result with you, and bring your questions to the follow-up visit. The medical decisions stay with the care team.

Which tests happen after a TIA, and how soon?

That's your parent's care team's call — which tests, in what order, and how soon depend on what they found and on your parent's history, so this worksheet doesn't list any. Copy each test and appointment exactly as the care team wrote it, with the timeframe they gave; if a timeframe isn't written down, ask the office that ordered it. If a test name is unfamiliar, ask what they're looking for with it and what decision the result will help them make.

What if stroke warning signs show up again?

Use the CDC's guidance, quoted word for word on the worksheet. Its B.E. F.A.S.T. check ends: "If you see any of these signs, call 9-1-1 right away." The same CDC page adds: "Note the time when any symptoms first appear. This information helps health care providers determine the best treatment." If anything ever seems like an emergency, call 911.

Do we need to take blood pressure readings at home after a TIA?

Only if your parent's care team asked for them. If they did, copy exactly what they asked for into the worksheet's readings section — what to measure, how often, who gets the numbers, and when they want a call — and write each reading as the device shows it. The worksheet records the readings; the care team decides what the numbers mean.

Just got home from the hospital? Get a free text-message helper for the first week.

or

By signing up, you agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.