While I’m on the topic of medical to-dos for your loved one, I thought I should touch upon the importance of having all of their medical information at your fingertips.
After going to a doctor’s visit with my father, I was flabbergasted at how many different medications he took on a regular basis. I mean, I knew he had a few prescriptions, but I had no idea how many more there were that I didn’t l know about.
While we were at CVS waiting to fill the new prescriptions, I asked my father if he had a list of all of the medications he was on. Surprisingly, he pulled out a little worn piece of paper that listed all of his medications and their dosages. I had to admit, I was rather impressed! Each time the doctor changed his prescriptions, he would cross out the old one and add the new one underneath. It was a pretty solid way for him to remember everything he took, so I copied his list for my own safe-keeping.
I thought we were on to something, until I went with him to the psychologist’s office, and his little list did not match what the doctor gave us. The names were all there, but the dosages were off. My father seemed just as surprised as I was that his list didn’t match up, so we decided to look at all of his prescriptions when we got home.
Once I gathered up all of the pill bottles, we made a new list for the both of us; we also made a copy for each of my siblings. This way, no matter which one of us went with him to the doctor, we would know if the medications were changing and could find out why before he came home with a new prescription!
This little piece of paper has been a life saver for us during emergency room visits. My siblings and I are now able to hand the list to the admitting nurse, and she simply photocopies it and adds it to the chart. It couldn’t be any easier!
We also decided to add the names, addresses and phone numbers of all of his doctors to this list. I am always asked for this information in the hospital and have to flip through my cell phone to write everything down; well, not anymore! I no longer need to stress over leaving any important people out – they’re all there: Primary Care Physician, Psychologist, Urologist, Cardiologist, Optometrist, and so on.
Last, but not least, we also listed all of his previous surgeries and medical conditions; and we’ve called special attention to his allergy to penicillin, just in case we forget to mention it. We even added his name, birth date and address, just in case we stumble during an emergency.
Now we have everything we need to know about our father’s medical information all on one sheet of paper, and it has proved to be very helpful time and time again!
So my seventh piece of advice for you is: create a master list of your loved one’s medical information and take it with you everywhere; include medications and dosages, doctors’ information, and previous surgeries / medical conditions / allergies.
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