I want to make an "all you need to know" binder for my elderly parents and home health nurses. Any suggestions?

My folder for my husband included a list of all medications, dosage, and prescribing doctor. Once when he needed an ambulance the emt was very pleased that I had that, and suggested that I also make up a health history sheet, which I did.

In the folder were copies of his POA document and healthcare directive. Also documents concerning his intention to donate his brain to a research project.

He had Lewy Body Dementia, which is not always known by medical professionals. The folder had several copies of basic information about the disease, aimed at ER staff. I gave one to an ER doctor who seemed very interested in it. It included a list of drugs he absolutely should not be given. (This was produced by the LBD Association.)

There was also a checklist I found on line somewhere of ADL's, to indicate his current baseline.

AJ excellent idea but keep it simple. A three ring binder with clearly maked divisions would be ideal. One thing I would caution against including SS#s
For example group names as you would in a filing cabinet Make generic names such as healthcare where you will list health providers, insurance, a copy of their cards keep originals separate. Utility companies, Trades people like plumbers and electricians, include location of water turn off and electric fuse box.
If any of these people have left cards stick them in.
one of the most important things is a copy of their current medication and allergies, contact information for POA, DNR and advanced directives. Then there are the location of such things as Wills, Insurance policies etc. I would not include pockets or pouches things fall out and/or get lost
What you can do is laminate things that may need to be handed over like an insurance card that a facility may need to photocopy then punch holes so it can be snapped into the binder.
I would also have another small binder that contains the DNR etc credit card copies, drivers license and keep this in safe place at home. That way no paid caregivers can misuse information. You can make sealed pouches for the originalsand attach in the binder. That helps with "Now DD where did you say the safe deposit box keys are" "Well Mom they are in the folder in the top right hand drawer of Dad's desk. Look in section 3 and you will find them in a little plastic case with a velcro closure"
This is going to be a very long time consuming task and i redict you will make many prototypes. let us know your final layout as others will probably want to make their own folders

Also, I'd want to include a list of dental, vision, and medical clinics that take their medicaid and medicare!

aj6044, you are very well organized.

I had something similar for my parents, I wanted them to fill out the information.
This mainly had to do with life issues in general that was available to me, and not to a caregiver. I included in their 3-ring large red binder [easy to find on a shelf] where I typed questions such as where can I find their legal papers, such as documents prepared and signed.... who is the Power of Attorney... Deed to the house.... who is their house insurance carrier.... where is their Will? Are there any codicils to the Will? Who is the Executor of their Will?.... who is their Elder Law Attorney?

Also had a section for finances, like did my parents have a pension plan, if so under who's name, account #, address of the financial institute who manages the plan, etc.... what banks do they have their checking/savings/money market accounts.... where can I find their stock [my folks had it scattered with different brokers].... credit card numbers and bank names... if any venues had automatic pay onto their credit card or pulled from their checking account... where are the mortgage papers.... did my folks have a safe deposit box and if yes at what bank and where is the key.

The binder also included if my parents had any coin collections or stamp collections. If they wanted to have the house sold after they passed, what Agent would they want the Executor to use?

A section under Elder Care I asked if they wanted to move to a retirement village, Assisted Living, or Long Term Care, what were the name of the places they would prefer. Would they allow caregivers to come into the house?.... would they allow cleaning people to come into the house?... who to mow their lawn?... do they have long-term-care insurance, or life insurance policies?....

Had section for Final Plans. Name of the cemetery? Which funeral home to use? Do they have a pre-paid funeral service and/or a grave site already purchased? Cremation or burial? If cremation, where to put the ashes.... type of church service... and in lieu of flowers, a favorite charity?

Computer, what is the password to get into their computer, and other passwords for different accounts?

I made copies of both of their birth certificates.... pocket for the original car title... pockets for a copy of their Will, POA's, Medical Directives, etc.

For tradespeople, I used an old fashioned Rolodex with the business cards taped to the cards.

Excellent ideas from each of the posters! The only thing I would elaborate on are Veronica's suggestions. I have separate binders for legal and medical issues, so that no legal information is available or blended in with medical information which would be reviewed more frequently.

All the legal information (as well as our taxes, notes, etc.) are stored upstairs in my studio, the door to which is always locked when I leave the house. Yes, it would create a stumbling block if the house ever caught fire, but I think the danger of being robbed (for a second time) is greater than fire.

When I really get organized, I'm going to get a scanner, scan all the medical and legal data onto separate DVDs and flash drives, so that it's much more portable. After watching so many horror videos of volcanoes, floods, tornados, I want something, very, very portable, and a flash drive would provide that. It'll be in a survival kit that I can grab as I dash out the door before a flood or other disaster occurs.

Lots and lots of good suggestions here....another big task to add to my to-do list!

I have just emailed DodoPad about this thread.

For those who have yet to come across them, DodoPads are the original-and-best "diary-doodle-memo-message-engagement-organiser-calendar" books. Some decades into production, they branched out into address books, gardeners' yearbooks, wedding planners, baby journals and the rest of it.

But no caregivers' aid, not yet. I will let you know what they say.

I agree with GA that the binders for legal and medical issues need to be separate.

I keep scanned copies of all of our farm information and bank statements. Mom and I have a binder for each farm and each bank account and one for medical information (so 6+ binders).

The "funny" (actually it became UN-Funny) part is that when Mom went to live in the Nursing Home after her hospitalization, she wanted all 6+ binders in her room at the nursing home. I told her "No" because they are confidential and have personal banking information in them.

Mom got extremely upset and accused me and my brother of stealing from her and gambling away the farms. The "by-the-book" Social Service Assistant (SSA) agreed with Mom. The SSA got upset with me when I refused to bring the binders up so the she (the SSA) could keep the binders in HER OFFICE in case Mom wanted to look at them. {Mom never asked to look at the binders the previous 4 months that she was in the nursing home and after the legal meetings were over, Mom has not asked to look at the binders either.}

The SSA wanted to help Mom "pay her bills". Mom knew what bills needed to be paid and when, but she hadn't written any checks for over 6 months--I was writing the checks. The SSA expected me to just hand over ALL of Mom and MY financial stuff to her. So the SSA helped Mom change her POA from me to our family attorney while Mom was experiencing a "full-brown" delusional episode.

I had to petition for guardianship and conservatorship (because of the farm businesses) of Mom. After spending thousands of dollars and having countless meetings with several different attorneys, Mom's court appointed "Attorney Ad Lidem" (who just happens to be an Elder Law Attorney) decided that Mom DID NOT know what she was doing when she changed her POA and the POA reverted back to me.

I called the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program after the POA was returned to me and we met with the Nursing Director and the Social Service Director to discuss what happened and how to prevent it from happening again. Mom has been transferred to the Memory Care Unit. If I have any questions about Mom, I talk to the Social Services Director and she attends the Care Plan Conferences instead of the Social Services Assistant.


https://clas.uiowa.edu/socialwork/sites/clas.uiowa.edu.socialwork/files/NursingHomeResource/documents/Katz%20ADL_LawtonIADL.pdf
This website has 2 different Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): Katz Index that looks at bathing, dressing, toileting, transfers, toileting, feeding oneself. And the Lawton-Brody Instrumental or Independent or Ancillary Activities of Daily Living (I-ADLs) that looks at using telephone, shopping, food preparation, housekeeping, laundry, driving car, taking medications, paying bills.

These are GREAT TOOLs in assessing your loved ones ability to take care of themselves. Also, Assisted Living and Nursing Home facilities AND Medicare and Medicaid ALL use ADLS as part of their assessment whenever they evaluate your loved one.

That is what I did for over 20 years. I completed the ADLs forms required by Medicare and Medicaid to determine the level of care that each resident needs (which in turn determines the “FEE” that the AL or NH can charge the resident).

Good Luck and God Bless!

AJ, Great idea! I wish I'd thought of this when my Mom was living alone. She's with me now and I must start a medical binder. Financial folder will be simple 'cause we po folk! Lol

DeeAnna, hmm I think that SSA had some serious control issues! I would have been peeved. Good for you not giving in! I would have told her to pound sand.

DeeAnna, that SSA really overstepped her bounds. I think that attempting to take control not only of an individual but her assets is a clear conflict of interest, and a violation of professional standards.

It's unfortunate that you had to expend so much time, energy and funds to straighten out the situation. I hope that SSA was either reprimanded or fired. I also think that reporting her to any SS association or accreditation organization wouldn't have been out of line.

The SSA still works at Mom's Nursing Home. She had managed to get the Nursing Home Administrator involved in the change of POA and since all of the legal stuff has been completed, neither the SSA nor the NH Administrator have talked to me.
{Oh, and ALL of my visits with Mom had to be supervised while all of the lawyer meetings were going on as the SSA was afraid that I might hurt Mom. From the very beginning of her stay at the nursing home, Mom would cry after each phone call and each of my visits even when the phone calls and visits were very positive. The nursing staff realized that Mom was depressed but the SSA didn't and still doesn't understand the relationship between my Mom and myself. SIGH.}

Mom is getting excellent care and the nursing staff is terrific so I don't want to move her to another facility which would mean driving to another town 30-45 miles away. I have talked with the Social Service Director about how much money I had to spend and how my own health has been negatively affected and she isn't happy about it, but if the NH Administrator won't fire the SSA, there is not too much the SSD can do. We live in a town of 8,000+ and there are not many Social Service people available to hire. Mom is content with her living arrangements and her medications are controlling her depression and delusions so that is all that matters. :)