Personal Medical Journal Template

Keeping your own medical records is a good idea. A list of all doctors' visits - including dentists and eye doctors is very handy when you need to see dates of immunizations, tests, illnesses, conditions, and surgeries. If you move and have to find a new physician, you easily could provide photocopies of your medical history.  It would be especially handy if you are caring for children or an elderly parent.

We created a template to follow -- one that you could easily photocopy or print and use to record your family's visits to health professionals. Your physicians may use it to see health patterns or make critical diagnoses. Keep pages organized by family member in a loose leaf notebook.

If you need a microwave heating pad for an elderly parent or friend who is ill and feeling cold, check out Maine Warmers. Their microwave heating pads come in a variety of shapes and sizes -- including neck warmers, large back warmers, and cozy sheep among other comforting creatures.

Cut and paste this template into a Word document, save it, and print it when you need to make copies.

Journal of Medical Appointments

Patient Name: __________________________________________________________________________

Date: ____________________

Medical Professional and Type: _____________________________________________________________

Location: _______________________________________________________________________________

Reason for visit: _________________________________________________________________________

Symptoms: _____________________________________________________________________________

Questions: _____________________________________________________________________________

 _______________________________________________________________________________________

Diagnosis: ______________________________________________________________________________

  
Recommendations: ______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________ 

Prescribed Medications: __________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Tests and Immunizations: ________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Reason for and dates of tests: ________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Test results and dates: _____________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Referrals and follow-up appointments: ________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Blood pressure: __________________     Height: _________________         Weight: _________________

How to meet people as a senior and move to a new location

Volunteering is a great way to meet people when one moves to a new place. Retirees often move to be near family, to a retirement community, or to a warmer climate. It can be difficult to meet new people and it doesn’t take long to feel isolated.

One of my favorite sayings is, “A good place to find a helping hand is at the end of your arm.” By helping others one helps him or herself. Volunteering can put you in touch with people who have similar interests.

Decide what kind of activity is satisfying for you and how much time you have to commit. Talk with a local librarian or community services or recreation department personnel in your new municipality. Do you need transportation? If so, ask about volunteer rides and public transportation.

The Corporation for National and Community Service Web site Senior Corps page allows you to put in the group which you have an interest in helping and your zip code (no names), and displays a list of volunteer opportunities.

If you know a senior who is feeling a little isolated due to surgery or illness, a visit and a Maine Warmer may be the perfect gift. Their Cozy Panda Bear and Sheep microwave heating pads offer comforting companionship as well as warmth when one is feeling cold due to lack of activity. If someone new has moved into your neighborhood you might welcome him or her with a gift.

Stretching to Help Balance

Keeping muscles flexible and in good working condition is important for balance, especially as we age and become more at risk for falls. The Mayo Clinic article, Stretching: Focus on Flexibility examines the benefits of a good stretching routine. Stretching may help improve your performance in physical activities and may help you avoid injuries.

They recommend routine stretching and to not consider it an afterthought. Stretching helps stimulate circulation and keep muscles flexible. One of their recommendations is to stretch when muscles are warmed up or after an exercise routine to avoid pulling a tight muscle.

A few tips to stretch correctly are: no bouncing, hold for 30- 60 seconds while breathing, don't stretch until you feel pain, and aim for the major muscle groups. If you participate in a sport then concentrate on stretching the muscles you use in that activity.

Heat will also help warm a muscle and improve blood circulation. A microwave heating pad may be just the
thing to use before a workout or stretching a tight muscle.

Maine Warmers'  Knee Pack can be used on knees, elbows, and more. Back Warmers and Neck Wraps are also versatile and can be microwaved for heat or frozen for gentle cold.

Tips for communicating with elderly parents

Talking with an elderly parent about their needs, fears, and frustrations can go a long way in helping to care for them. Communication and understanding is key to helping them through the aging process. Allowing parents to do as much as they can for themselves, for as long as possible, helps them emotionally and may save the caretaker extra work.

When you talk with your elderly parents, even though some of the issues are serious, try to keep the tone of the conversation light. Ask what they want as they continue their journey through their later years. Let him or her talk about the experiences they've had that influenced the way they do things or want their lives to be. Listen more than you talk.

Discussing finances with them is critical. Respecting their wishes and decisions, as long as they are reasonable and safe, is important to their well being. As long as parents are mentally capable of making decisions, then they need to be included.

Teaching parents about not giving out financial information to solicitors on the phone or at the door, no matter how nice the person seems, is vitally important. Even if phone solicitors claim to represent a utility company or a reputable organization, it is important for elderly parents to know to not give credit card or other personal information to them.

Resources
 
1.  OnlineOrganizing.com offers tips on organization in an article, Caring for Elderly Parents by Ramona Creel.
 
2.  Elder Care
 
3.  GRAND!times.com
 
If your elderly parent feels cold – even in the middle of summer – it may have to do with poor blood circulation and lack of physical activity. It’s worth a check with his or her physician (if the condition has not already been checked out). A microwave heating pad from Maine Warmers helps relax stiff muscles, stimulates blood circulation, improves flexibility.. A Cozy Sheep or Black Bear provides comforting companionship along with nurturing warmth.