How to Organize Medical Information for Aging Parents
Managing healthcare for an aging parent can become overwhelming when medical information is scattered across different doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, insurance records and patient portals.
A simple system for organizing medical information can help adult children quickly find important details during doctor visits, emergencies and follow-up appointments:
- doctors
- medications
- allergies
- surgeries
- hospitalizations
- test results
- appointments
- questions
- follow-ups
Why keeping your parent's medical information organized matters
Over the years most people accumulate a variety of medical information like:
- multiple specialists
- multiple medications
- changing prescriptions
- hospital visits
- emergency situations
Steps to follow to organize parents medical records:
Step 1: Create a central medical information system
Information should be stored in one place.
Include:
- doctor information
- medications
- allergies
- medical history
- surgeries
- hospitalizations
- test results
Step 2: Create a list of all healthcare providers
Include:
- primary care physician
- specialists
- dentists
- pharmacies
- hospitals
- insurance contacts
Step 3: Organize medications
Include:
- medication name
- dosage
- reason prescribed
- prescribing doctor
- start date
- changes
Step 4: Keep track of doctor visits
After every appointment, record why the visit occurred, what the doctor recommended, tests ordered, medications changed and follow-up instructions.
Step 5: Prepare for emergencies
Include:
- emergency contacts
- allergies
- current medications
- major diagnoses
- surgeries
- preferred hospital
Step 6: Keep information updated
- review after every doctor visit
- update medications
- add new test results
Aging Parent Medical Information Checklist
☐ Primary doctor contact information
☐ Specialist information
☐ Medication list
☐ Allergies
☐ Medical conditions
☐ Surgeries and procedures
☐ Hospitalizations
☐ Lab results
☐ Imaging records
☐ Insurance information
☐ Emergency contacts
☐ Questions for upcoming appointments
All of this sounds like a lot of work but can be organized in a structured workbook which connects summary to detail in a unique way. Also allows aging parents to use written records rather than electronic records which can be confusing.
Our Workbook was designed to solve the problems people have with organizing their parents health data. Learn more about our Personal Health Record Workbook