Here’s a simple guide to keeping family records.  Note:  All of these records could be kept in my LifeFile™.  Check out the information on the “products” tab of this blog or go to www.mywiseguides.com.

Here’s a simple guide to keeping financial records.  Note:  All of these records can be kept in my LifeFile™ .  For more  information on LifeFile  go to  the “products” tab of this blog or go to www.mywiseguides.com.

Here’s a simple guide to keeping property records.  Note:  All of these records could be kept in my LifeFile™ .  For more information on LifeFile check out the “products” tab of this blog or go to www.mywiseguides.com.

Review and evaluate what important papers should be stored, where they should be stored, and what can and should be discarded. Make the decision and file each paper accordingly. Do not just stack papers and plan to return to them later. This is the way things become lost and cause you to waste valuable time in searching for or replacing them.  How many times have you spent hours looking for a paper you know you had but can’t remember where you put it?

A home filing system, with a space provided for the important things, is the key to managing your important family papers. For items kept at home it is not necessary to have fancy filing cabinets or special “offices.” A “business corner” can be set up in any room in the house. A cardboard drawer or metal box can serve adequately for storage of bills and family papers. I keep all my “medical” records in the LifeFile™  and all my important “life” information in the LifeFile™ I created (www.mywiseguides.com).  These systems help me to stay organized and help me find important documents at a moment’s notice.  However, filing systems must be planned to meet your needs. Remember, every type of important paper should be assigned a certain space, kept there until needed, and discarded if no longer useful.

In the following days I will post a guide to record-keeping that will help you work out a personalized and efficient system for preserving and safeguarding important family papers. It will also provide a handy reference for deciding what items to keep, why you need to keep them, where they should be kept, and how long to keep them.

Eileen Kollmeyer

My Wise Guides

Email:  eileenk@mywiseguides.com

Phone:  206-369-5305

www.mywiseguides.com

It ’s wise to periodically review your important papers. Take a fresh look at the types of records and papers you should be keeping at the beginning of each year, your birthday or  new stage in your life.  Consider your  household as  a mini-business since many of the functions of daily life are the same as they are for any other type of business — large or small.

Importance of Records

You’ll find that records have become a vital part of running a household. Records are key to help us keep track and remember important areas of our lives.  If you have systematic plan for keeping track of important papers you can save hours of anxious searching; help preserve peace and harmony; and make it easier to cope with emergency situations.

Record-keeping is also important due to legal and safety factors. Many records and papers can be kept in a home file for ready access, while others should be left with your attorney, placed in a safe-deposit box, or put in a fireproof, waterproof, and burglar-proof home safe. Here’s a good rule - keep the item at home unless it is a legal document or is difficult to replace or duplicate. Then it should be kept in a safe-deposit box or possibly left with your attorney. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, people have considered the idea of sending copies of important documents to a trusted relative in another state, and also having copies in a fireproof or waterproof file that could be lifted at a moment’s notice.

Since we’re beginning a new year take a few minutes and write down 3 things you can do within the next week to improve your record keeping organization.  I’d love to get your tips and tricks on things you do to keep organized. 

Eileen Kollmeyer

My Wise Guides

Email:  eileenk@mywiseguides.com

Phone:  206-369-5305

www.mywiseguides.com

Medication is always prescribed to help you but sometimes it can hurt you! It is very important to keep track of medications that cause you to be sick or give you a rash or other unwanted reactions. It is also just as important to know what medications don’t mix or work together or how much is too much to take. Find out if you should avoid certain foods, other medications, supplements, or alcohol while taking your medication.

It is very important to keep track of all medication, vitamins, and herbal remedies and to keep a written history of when started, when stopped, and any symptoms you may have had. This information alone could possibly save your life in an emergency situation.

1. Current Medication and Vitamins

List all the current medication, vitamins, or herbal remedies you are taking, the amount, and the frequency with which you are taking them.

2. Medication and Vitamin History

Keep to track all medication, vitamins, and herbal supplements you are taking now or have taken in the past. It will come in handy when you’re asked if you’ve ever taken something and you will be able to look over your chart and determine if you have taken it and any effects it had.

3. Allergies

Keep track of any allergies you’ve had to medication and what happens when you take that medication.  You will want to chart the name of the medication, its purpose, date started, date stopped, dosage, and times, physician phone number, side effects, refill number, and pharmacy number.

IMPORTANT TIPS:

ALWAYS take an updated copy of your current medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements with you to your health care appointment.

Refill your prescriptions BEFORE you run out.

Use a pill box to organize your medications, vitamins, or herbal supplements into daily doses.

Keep a list of your current medications in your wallet or purse. Write down prescription name, dosage, and how to take them. This is helpful to have as a reference, especially when traveling.

Eileen Kollmeyer

My Wise Guides

Email:  eileenk@mywiseguides.com

Phone:  206-369-5305

www.mywiseguides.com

Everyone has the right to make personal decisions about their health care. You could wind up hurt or sick and unable to make decisions about medical treatments. An advance directive speaks for you if you are unable to and helps make sure your religious and personal beliefs will be respected. It is a useful legal document for an adult of any age to plan for future health care needs.

Information on Advance Directives

Purchase the HealthFile (see “products” tab of this blog) and you will receive all the information and answers you need to make decisions about creating advance directives. Some of the questions it answers are:

·         What is a health care directive?

·         Must your health care directive be followed?

·         Can you be required to make a health care directive?

·         Can you change or revoke your health care directive?

·         Who can legally make health care decisions for you if you are unable to make your own decisions and if you have made a health care power of attorney?

·         What if you already have a living will or other health care directive?

·         What does a health care directive contain?

·         A living will should do what?

·         A pre-hospital medical care directive should do what?

·         Who should have copies of your health care directives?

Give your health care providers information on your desired directives:

·         Health Care Directive

·         Health Care Power of Attorney

·         Living Will

Eileen Kollmeyer

My Wise Guides

Email:  eileenk@mywiseguides.com

Phone:  206-369-5305

www.mywiseguides.com

Have you ever been in a situation where you had to give your health provider the name and contact number of your primary health care provider but you didn’t have the information at your fingertips? Keep your important numbers in one place to use as a quick reference guide. It can be given to your family in case of an emergency situation. It can also be given to your physician/s so they know who else is involved in your medical care. (Notes and/or updates on your condition can be sent from one physician to another quickly if you can readily provide them with the names and addresses of one another.)

1. Emergency Contacts

List 3 people contacts in case of emergency.

2. Health Team Contacts

It is important to keep a list of the providers and practitioners that comprise your health care team.

Make copies of your Contact form and give to your health care provider.Always get to know the nurse and receptionist in each office; they are the key tohelping you get the care you deserve.

Eileen Kollmeyer

My Wise Guides

Email:  eileenk@mywiseguides.com

Phone:  206-369-5305

www.mywiseguides.com

In today’s world many of us are scrambling to do as much as we can in each day. The time we get to spend with our health care provider is short and we need to make the most of every appointment. Preparing for your visit is a great way to get the most out of your short time with your provider. Get ready by documenting your problem, the issues you have faced, the things you’ve done to help get better, and the way you’ve felt. You will also want to have a list of questions to ask as well as an update of your current medications and vitamins to share. This preparation will help ensure that you are prepared for your appointment and will give you a much better chance of receiving an accurate diagnosis.

Appointment Guide

·         Have your questions ready in advance to make sure you ask everything you want to know.

·         You may have several health issues to discuss, but in order to get maximum care you will want to make sure to focus on one or two problems at each appointment. If you have several issues you might want to ask for a longer appointment or schedule a second appointment. Prioritize your list!

·         Bring a list of all the medications, vitamins, or herbal remedies you are currently taking along with dosage and frequency. See Medication and Vitamins section of this binder.

·         At the end of your appointment write down your next appointment – date, time, and reason.

If you feel it is hard to remember all the answers and suggestions your provider gives you it might be helpful to bring someone else with you to your appointment. A second set of ears is sometimes beneficial.

Eileen Kollmeyer

My Wise Guides

Email:  eileenk@mywiseguides.com

Phone:  206-369-5305

www.mywiseguides.com

Creating your personal health history can improve the treatment you receive. Many of us have a hard time remembering what we’ve been told, what treatments we’ve received, and the year we’ve received them. Keeping track of your history is a tool to help you remember and give your health care provider up-to-date and accurate information. This will help you help your provider take appropriate action to keep you healthy.

1. Health History Questionnaire

Filling out a questionnaire will help you to remember some health issues you may have forgotten and put your history into logical categories.

2. Health History Narrative

Write a narrative on your health as a child, teenager, young adult, adult, and/or senior citizen.

3. Lifestyle

Your lifestyle is another way to help your provider give you an accurate diagnosis of your health concerns.  Write down your height, weight, exercise routine, overall diet, alcohol consumption, tobacco usage, drugs, sexual habits, mental health, therapies, etc. 

4. Family Health History

We all know that many diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease can be common in families. A family medical history can be detailed and include health issues that blood relatives have faced. We can use our family’s history to help identify some health risks we might face in our lifetime. Knowing your family history can save your life, as well as the lives of those you love.

To make this exercise effortless  consider purchasing the HealthFile (see the “products” tab of this blog) loaded with all the forms and files you need to make organizing your health information easy!

Eileen Kollmeyer

My Wise Guides

Email:  eileenk@mywiseguides.com

Phone:  206-369-5305

www.mywiseguides.com