Key Takeaways
- As you age, your healthcare needs may change, making it important to organize your health information.
- Collect key information such as physician contacts, medical conditions, current medications, and insurance plans.
- Ensure legal documents like a healthcare directive and power of attorney are up to date for emergencies.
- Share your healthcare information with family members to prepare them for potential crises.
- Being prepared with your healthcare information can relieve stress for loved ones during difficult times.
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
As you age, you may notice your body changing. Activities that you once mastered may be painful to perform.
For some, you may not notice the gradual decline in your health until something happens.
As we roll into the second half of the year, start organizing your healthcare information.
Collecting pertinent information before a crisis will save your loved ones from additional stress.
They won’t waste time and energy searching for your information.
Here is a list of information to keep handy for emergencies:
- List and contact information for each of your physicians and specialists (medical, dental, vision, and hearing).
- List of all medical conditions (e.g., high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc.).
- List of current medications with dosage.
- Copy of all health insurance plans.
Also, make sure you have the following legal documents current:
Healthcare directive: A legal document that specifies what type of care you want if you no longer can verbalize your desires.
HIPAA release: In 1996, Congress created the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to protect the privacy of your health information. A signed HIPAA release form identifies who may access your health care information.
Once you have this information, share it with your spouse and adult children.
If you’re single, share
When a crisis occurs, one can never be too prepared.
(Update to original post from December 12, 2022)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Niv Persaud, CFP®, is the Founder of Transition Planning & Guidance, LLC (TransitionPG®). She believes life is more than accumulating money – it’s about living the lifestyle you envision and can afford. Niv incorporates all aspects of life when discussing money. She developed the 5 P’s of Life (Personal Relationships, Personal Finance, Profession, Peace of Mind, and Physical Health) to help clients define what they want from life. Once she understands their vision, she helps them achieve their lifestyle or adjust their expectations based on their finances. Niv actively gives back to the community through her volunteer efforts. She believes in living life to the fullest by cherishing friendships, exploring the world, and laughing often—even at herself. Her favorite quote is by Erma Bombeck, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say ‘I used everything you gave me.’” Click HERE to read where she’s been quoted in the media.
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