Stay Organized

Do you have a huge pile of papers on the kitchen counter or dining room table related to your housing and care options? When you look at it, do you get an uncomfortable feeling that you might be burying or mislaying something important? Many of us do -- and it can make our life twice as hard as it needs to be. Try some of these ideas for organizing your service options.

Use a box that you can carry around (if necessary) and make files for a wide variety of the areas of your life related to housing and service needs. Keep it near a phone so you can refer to it as you make calls.

Take notes at the doctor's office and at other appointments and when you're on the phone. Store your notes in the appropriate files to jog your memory later.

Keep a notebook or file of a wide variety of general information. This makes it easy to carry this information to appointments with you and to pass it along to other helpers as needed.

Your Caregiving Notebook

This invaluable tool for the caregiver should contain:

Medicare #

Other Insurance #s

Medical Information:

• List all doctors and their specialty -- which problem are they treating you for?
  
• Doctor's phone numbers and addresses and the name of an especially helpful nurse or receptionist at each office
  
• Chronic health problems with the original date of diagnosis
  
• Surgeries, injuries, and acute illnesses, with dates
  
• Hospital or clinic where treatment has been received
  
• Immunizations (for example, pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine, influenza vaccine, and Tetanus)
  
• Special tests, such as x-rays, CAT scans, cardiac tests and name of the doctor who ordered and interpreted the test
  

Medications:

• Name of pharmacy and pharmacist
  
• Strength/frequency of dosage, date first prescribed, doctor who prescribed it
  
• Allergies to drugs and past drug reactions
  
• Non-prescription items: such as vitamins, aspirin, and others
  
• Home remedies

• Primary physician, hospital, ambulance service to use
  
• Medical history
  
• Special diets, including food allergies

• Bank account numbers
  
• Name of stockbroker or other financial advisor
  

• Social security number
  
• Birth date
  
• Date of death
  
• Burial location
  
• Anniversary
  

• People who've offered to help and the phone numbers of those you regularly call upon
  
• Attorney name
  
• Clergy member
  

Go to Introduction
Go to Home and Community Based Services
Go to Senior-Specific Residences
Go to How to Access Services
Go to Stay Organized
Go to Making the Transition
Go to The Not-for-Profit Choice
Go to a listing of the not-for-profit facilities and services that are members of WAHSA.