Alzheimer’s Tips for Caregivers: How to Organize Your Loved One’s Medical Information

By the PicnicHealth Team

Sep 07, 2022 • 5 min read

Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s can feel like a full-time job. You want the best for your loved one but providing this level of care can be incredibly stressful. As a Proud Supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association, PicnicHealth is working to educate and raise awareness of valuable caregiver resources. In this blog, we will provide some tips for keeping organized that can help reduce stress while maintaining the highest level of care for patients with Alzheimer’s.

Managing your loved one’s medical records can be daunting. Different healthcare providers can use different platforms for collecting and storing this information. Records are not always shared effectively. Gaps in records cannot be investigated by talking with Alzheimer’s patients who, depending on the severity of their condition, likely will not have reliable recall. Yet maintaining control and oversight of your loved one’s medical records is vitally important, as access to this information helps you prepare for the unknown. Whether it is an emergency or a sudden change in their condition, having quick, easy access to up-to-date information is critical. Even without unexpected difficulties, accurate and timely records data can help you and your loved one get the most value out of your regular doctor visits. With the ability to easily review the medical history, you can ask physicians better, more informed questions and more successfully discuss ways to improve quality of life.

Here are a few tips on how to get organized:

Create a List

List the names of all the doctors, hospitals, and other facilities your loved one visits regularly, along with those they have visited in the past. Try to go back as far as you can, striving for at least the last 5-10 years, but do your best. Even if you can’t remember them all, having a strong baseline can help you quickly identify gaps in records.

Ensure You Have the Appropriate Legal Status

It is important to make sure that you are fully empowered to make decisions on behalf of your loved one with Alzheimer’s. Your relationship status with the patient may not be enough to legally give you access to your loved one's medical information. It is a good idea to talk to an expert about securing special legal status, such as Power of Attorney (POA), a legal document that allows an individual to name someone as their decision maker should they no longer be able to make decisions on their own.

Gather and Organize the Medical Records in One Place

It’s important to have all of your loved one’s medical records together in one spot. This makes it much easier for you and your loved one’s physicians to accurately map the patient’s medical journey and more easily share information between doctors. Fortunately, tools exist to make record management and access simple. A free resource like PicnicHealth helps you collect and organize all of this information.

Review the Medical Records to be an Informed Advocate

The better you understand your loved one's medical history, the better you can advocate on their behalf. Access and understanding of this information will help you to ask informed questions with physicians. Through regular communication backed by the data in the medical records, you can help your loved one’s care team develop a more successful care plan.

Additional Tips

Build a support network. When you’re juggling appointment times and insurance claims, putting a robust support system together might not strike you as the most urgent task. Investing the time to cultivate relationships with people can turn to in times of need will pay dividends.
Stay organized. The backbone of effective caregiving is organization. Keep medical information, appointment schedules, and medication lists in order.
Explore treatments and clinical trials. Stay in the loop about the latest in medical advancements and available resources that could benefit your loved one.
Make time for self-care. It may seem self-centered to focus on self-care—but when you feel good, you can be a better caregiver.

Conclusion

Easily manage all of your loved one's medical records and contribute to ongoing Alzheimer's research with PicnicHealth.

Learn more about contributing to IgAN research with PicnicHealth.