Senior Caregiving Tip: Create a Medical History Summary for the Senior Citizen in Your Care

Physicals, follow ups, urgent care and emergencies-when you are responsible for caring for a senior citizen you find yourself attending frequent medical engagements. Each time, you are relied upon to provide vital information that assists in diagnosing and treating the individual in your care. If you've ever found yourself saying something along the lines of "she takes something for her heart, but I don't know exactly what," consider writing up a medical history summary that can be used in every instance where it is needed.

By using a spreadsheet program such as Numbers or Excel, you can cram a surprisingly large amount of medical information onto a single sheet of paper. This one page summary can then be carried in a purse or wallet for reference at a doctor's office or in an emergency situation. You may even want to print off extra copies and include them with the stacks of forms you often have to fill out when facilitating medical care.

To begin write down (or type up) your loved one's basic statistics: height, weight, age, gender, and race. Also important to note are their name, social security number, date of birth, and Medicare or insurance policy number.

Next, list all current medications including over the counter drugs and herbal supplements. Include the dosages and frequency with which they are taken (e.g. 40mg, twice daily). Update this regularly so that you always have a current list on hand.

Next, make a list of important contact information. Provide the names and phone numbers of all your loved one's doctors such as their primary care physician, cardiologist, endocrinologist, oncologist, neurologist, etc. Write down the name and number of at least one family member who is considered the emergency contact (as primary caregiver, this will probably be you). Lastly, include the name of the individual (if any) who holds power of attorney.

The next step in creating a medical history summary for your aging loved one is the most difficult. It involves researching their full medical history. Do this by contacting all the doctors and hospitals who have treated them as a patient going as far back as you can. To do this you will need either power of attorney or some other form of written consent.

After obtaining the records, read them. While reading jot down important diagnoses and the dates of major procedures. Use the internet to look up any medical jargon that you do not understand. Even a caregiver who is familiar with their charge's medical history can gain a substantial amount of insight by reading doctor's notes included in medical records. Use this information to write a detailed summary of your loved one's conditions and health issues.

In addition to the patient's individual health problems, try to gather information on medical conditions that run in the family. If your loved one's parents and siblings are deceased find out what it was they died from. If immediate family members are still alive, find out what ails them and briefly include this information in your summary.

Last but not least, include in the medical history summary notes to be used should your loved one be admitted to the hospital. This includes information such as religious preferences and dietary needs. List necessary health aids such as their walker, wheelchair, eyeglasses, and/or false teeth. Also mention here the existence of any living will or do not resuscitate order.

It may seem like a lot of information, but keeping a single page (two sided if necessary) with all this information with you can help medical service providers better treat your loved one. If you keep the notes short and well organized paramedics, nurses and doctors will all thank you for having this information on hand and readily accessible.