Medical History in a Flash Blog by Joy Loverde

by Joy Loverde

What would you do if your aging parent landed in the hospital and the emergency room staff started shooting critical questions at you? When was the last time your mom was in the hospital? What prescription drugs does she take? What is she allergic to? Who is her primary doctor? Who is her healthcare proxy? Where are the healthcare proxy documents? What are her existing health problems?

And what if the only answer you can give the emergency medical team who is trying to keep Mom alive is, “I don’t really know the answer to that?”

It’s one thing not to know our aging parents’ medical history and it’s another not to have any documentation handy to be able to respond to an emergency eldercare situation with any level of intelligence. These are both critical family caregiver responsibilities that cannot be ignored.

If you haven’t done so already, do everyone a big favor, especially yourself, and create a Medical History today. Go to my website (www.elderindustry.com) and download the free form from my book, The Complete Eldercare Planner. That’s all you need to do to get started. It’s that easy. Here are some of the questions you will be asked…

MEDICAL HISTORY

• Patient’s full name/maiden name
• Date of birth
• Birthplace
• Blood type
• Allergies
• Past attending physicians
• Current attending physicians
• Pregnancies/Miscarriages
• Immunizations
• Cause/dates of past physical illness
• Cause/dates of existing health problems
• Cause/dates of accidents
• Operations/dates performed
• Reason/dates of hospitalizations
• Reason/dates of doctor’s office visits
• Negative reactions to medical treatments
• Copies of lab test results

Current use of…

• eye glasses
• hearing aides
• walking devices
• wheelchairs
• tens units
• Current use of  bathroom accessories such as grab bars and raised toilet seats
• Recent changes in bodily functions
• Existing mental health problems
• Personal stress and family problems
• Mother’s/Father’s date/cause of death
• Grandparents’ cause of death

MEDICATION HISTORY

Current use of prescription medications…

• drug name
• drug purpose
• amount to take
• when to take
• how to tak
• how long to take
• possible side effects
• Current use of …
• over-the-counter drugs
• vitamins
• supplements
• herbs
• History of drug side effects

Once the medical history is completed, download the information onto a flash drive and keep it on your key chain. Update this important information as needed.