Personal Care at Home: Taking care of senior loved ones can mean a lot of paperwork.
Medical records, insurance information, medication information, financial information, and much more all have to be easily accessible and organized. One of the most efficient ways to compile all the information that you will need to have during a medical emergency is to create an emergency binder for your senior loved one or loved ones. When you have an emergency binder it makes it easy for you or for a personal care at home provider who is with your senior loved ones to find any medical information that is needed immediately. Keep the binder in an easy to access spot in your senior loved one’s home so that your senior, a personal care at home provider, or you can grab it quickly if your senior loved one ends up needing to go to the hospital.
What You Need
To create an emergency binder you need a large three-ring binder, a package of dividers, and a good amount of plastic sleeve protectors. It’s a good idea to get a binder that is brightly colored or eye-catching but you can choose whatever kind of binder you like the best.
What Goes In The Binder
You can add or subtract from this list in a way that makes sense to you but in general, the emergency binder should contain:
Emergency Contacts
The first page of the binder should contain at least four emergency contacts. Besides your contact information you can list a spouse, siblings, neighbors, or anyone that would be likely to go to with your senior loved one to the hospital in an emergency situation. You should also put the numbers for any private ambulance companies in your areas or senior transportation services.
Insurance Information
When there is an emergency it can be very difficult to focus on tracking down insurance information. Put a copy of your senior loved one’s insurance cards, the insurance ID number and group number in the binder. It’s also a good idea to put telephone numbers to reach the insurance company and any other insurance related information in the binder. If your senior loved one has Medicare and a supplement policy put information for all of the insurance policies in the binder.
Copies Of Medical Records and Legal Papers
Keep a copy of your senior loved one’s most recent medical records and any legal paperwork like a DNR or other statement of their wishes in the binder. If you have a power of attorney to make medical decisions for your senior loved one keep a notarized copy of that document in the binder.
Medication Information
Make a list of any medications that your loved one is currently taking and the dose amount for each medication. In an emergency the medical staff may need to know this information quickly and having it at your fingertips will save them the time of looking it up.
Medical emergencies can’t always be helped, but you can be prepared to make sure that your senior loved one gets the care they need quickly by having the information that the medical staff needs easy to find.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Personal Care at Home in Medina, OH, please contact the caring staff at Autumn Hills Home Care, LLC today. (330) 217-6090
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from The Pennsylvania State University, and Master’s degree from The University of Akron.He is currently studying Spanish Language at the University of Akron.
He is married to Lisa, and together they have a daughter, two sons, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and four grandchildren.The entire family lives in Summit County, Ohio.
In his professional career he worked in hospitals, taking several assignments in Youngstown, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Akron, finally settling in Akron in 1987.
His career took him into starting up two specialty hospitals in Akron, then into starting up several Home Health and Hospice programs.
Fourteen years ago he and his wife, Lisa, entered into restaurant ownership and operation.They since started “Lala’s Restaurant and Fireside Lounge” in the Portage Lakes.The restaurant has been open since November 2019, and provides residents of the area with fine food and entertainment.
Toward the end of his service in the Hospice industry, Jeff had a vision for starting a Home Care service to care for seniors in our area.After a search of franchises and other businesses, he started Autumn Hills Home Care.Through this business, he has proudly provided the best of service to seniors throughout the area, as well as meaningful employment for many caregivers.
Most recently, Jeff entered government service as was elected Trustee of Coventry Township.He was sworn in and started service in January 2020.
In his free moments, Jeff enjoys family time, bicycling, golf, learning Spanish, and travel.He can be reached at jeff.houck@outlook.com
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