Create a “Health Binder”

Your elderly parent may start to obsess over their health. They may constantly ask when their next doctor appointment is, when their last appointment was, why they are taking certain meds, and when their last vaccines were. You will quickly grow very tired of answering these same questions over and over, so create a Health Binder that contains all the answers they need in one place. This way, when your elderly parent asks “When did I have my last colonoscopy?”, you can simply point to the Health Binder and tell them to look it up. Over time, they may even remember to look before repeating a question. This is good for both your sanity and their feeling of security that they are being properly cared for. 

The Health Binder is also very handy to have when going to a doctor’s appointment — especially a new doctor. Inevitably, the nurse or doctor will ask a question that you will have documented in the Health Binder.  Every doctor I’ve shown my Health Binder to has greatly appreciated its thoroughness because it makes their job easier and more thorough as well. 

Here’s a list of the Google Docs I maintain for my mom. Each is in a spreadsheet format with columns applicable to the type of document:

  1. Current and Past Appointments & Procedures: 
    • Date/Time: What date and time the appointment is or was 
    • Type: What type of appointment it is, i.e.: “Neurologist”
    • Layman Description: Describes in plain English what the appointment is for, i.e., “Review MRI, bloodwork, and EEG results”.
    • Doctor: The name of the doctor they will see. 
    • Health Network: The health network the doctor belongs to (so you know what patient portal to check)
  2. Current and Past Health Issues: 
    • Issue/Diagnosis: What the issue or diagnosis was, i.e., “Mitral valve regurgitation.”
    • Laymen Description: Describes in plain English what the issue is, i.e., “One of your heart valves is stiffening and doesn’t always close properly”.
    • Doctor: The name of the doctor they will see. 
    • Health Network: The health network the doctor belongs to (so you know what patient portal to check)
    • Date Updated: When the health issue was last updated.
  3. Current Medications: This is the part of the Visual Pill Organizer I wrote about.  
  4. Vaccine History:
    • Vaccine: Name of the vaccine, i.e., “Flu”
    • Manufacturer & Type: The name of the vaccine manufacturer and the type of vaccine, i.e., “Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent – 65+ Vaccine”
    • Where You Got It: The name of the place they got the vaccine, i.e., “CVS”
    • Date You Got It: The exact dates they got the vaccine. If it was a series of shots, list all dates.
  5. Health Summary: This is a Cliff Notes version of everything a doctor may want to know so you can just hand them the piece of paper, such as:
    • Medications & Supplements
    • Medical Events/Changes
    • On/Off Issues
    • Immunizations