In Careswitch, a recurring schedule is the template, and each shift on the calendar is an instance generated from it. Recurring schedules generate shifts up to about a year ahead. The difference matters when you edit — one change can affect a single shift or the whole series.
Setting up a recurring schedule
When creating a shift, turn on Repeats, then set:
Repeats every — the interval and frequency (day, week, or month).
Days of the week — for weekly schedules. You can optionally customize shift times per day.
Repeats until — an end date. Leave it blank and the series runs until the service ends.
Editing one shift vs. the whole series
When you edit a shift that's part of a series, you choose the scope:
This shift — changes only that one occurrence; the rest of the series is untouched.
This and all following shifts — updates this shift and everything after it.
If you change the pattern itself (times, days, or frequency) on "this and all following," Careswitch clears the upcoming shifts and regenerates them from the new pattern. You'll get a heads-up when an edit will do this.
A few things to watch
Shortening "Repeats until" deletes the shifts after the new end date.
Reassigning going forward only applies to newly generated shifts — already-created future shifts keep their current caregiver until you change them.
Editing a single shift sets just that occurrence apart; later shifts won't pick up the change.
Editing past and completed shifts
You can edit a shift while it's Unassigned, Offer Pending, Scheduled, or Tentative — and not yet in the past. Once a shift is completed, or its time has passed, it's locked for editing. And once a shift is on an invoice, you can't change its policy (use the "Move to invoice" flow instead).
Canceling
Shifts are canceled one at a time from the shift's detail page. You'll pick a reason (required), can add a note, and can choose to still pay the caregiver. There's no bulk "cancel the whole series" — cancel each shift you need to, or shorten the schedule's end date to stop future ones.
FAQ
How far ahead are shifts created?
About a year out. The schedule keeps generating new shifts as time passes, until it reaches its end date (if one is set).
I changed the series but older shifts look the same — why?
Pattern changes regenerate upcoming shifts; shifts already completed or in the past aren't touched.