Tip #331 Form Frenzy; Remember the Milk (or let it remember for you!)

     Honey would you pick up some milk on the way home? No, that's not what this is about (although while we're discussing it maybe you should check with your spouse before going to leave for home...). No, Remember the Milk (RTM)  is not a task, it is a wonderful application that is very useful in life in general - and I love having it during the recovery process. Here's the deal:
  
 RTM is a to do list that is on the web. Not just any to do list though. Why?

• It's free, and an awesome easy way to manage lists.
• It is digital so all the info you need is in one place. It's like a digital filing cabinet where you can determine which file folders (and how many) you use, and you name them for what makes sense to you
• Depending on your settings, you can have RTM email you, or set an alarm of some sort to prompt you for appointments/due dates. AND, you do it all without cumbersome calendars, and without a long process (many easy shortcuts!)
• It is great for communicating with your medical practicionsers: 
• Keep track of questions you want to ask in your next apt, or what the answers were during that appointment. So, I have a Dr. So-and-so tab/file for each Doctor, physio, and other specialist
• You can share some of your "files"  I have a list for the occupational therapist. If she registers (for free) with RTM then she can see and update the list that I set as accessible for her (and no other "file" in my list "filing cabinet"). So privacy is great, and has a cool built-in flexibility
• Note, although the person you invite to look at your list you can do for free, but if you want to be able to ask people to join you, then you have to pay a $25 per YEAR fee. So, if you don't want to share particular lists, you pay nothing.
• Your lists will automatically update themselves (even with free version) every time you log in, regardless of which computer/device you open next.
• It works on most if not all devices PC (computer, Apple, blackberry, iPhone, iPad, etc)
• There's a notes section with each task
• And a lot of other great features too!

     So, it's fast, easy to set up, easy to use, and the interface is amazing too! On the iPad it appears as almost hand-printed fonts, and all sorts of goodies... You know that I am partial to Mac computers (and partial to the very very awesome iPad specifically), and I think it looks and functions best that way, but it's excellent on any device/computer you use.
     In general, I'll reiterate that it's a great list program for anyone, and you can make it as detailed or minimal as you want, and that too is another reason I like it so much. I would also love to use it as a medical professional, but that's a story for another day....
     Click here to go to RTM to check it out. Warning: if you sign up and you set it to alert you, you may find yourself laying in bed trying to figure out why you're hearing cowbells and some moo's. Living on a beef farm I have to say I found it surprising to hear a Moo from the livingroom rather than outside the first time the alert happened! LOL!! You can of course change that feature... but, maybe don't. It's more fun!

Happy milking!
  

Tip #427 Emergency Eventualities; Emergency Sheets 101

     So you're home recovering from severe trauma or illness (or you've brought your loved one home), you're tired, and want to have a vacation from this segment of life - and all of a sudden you're facing an emergency. Dealing with health emergencies are scary and inconvenient at the best of times, and now here you are at the worst of times having to face it anew. If this is the case, taking the time (and energy) to make an emergency plan, and preparing a few things ahead of time can be a wonderful energy and time saver later. Trust me, I've done this more than a few times, and it is always better to spend a little bit of time before the crisis rather than a lot of time in the crisis and after the crisis be you caregiver or patient.
      The "Emergency Eventualities" category is new as of tonight as I realized that there are so many things that can easily be done to be more prepared, but aren't often intuitive unless you've been down this road a few times before. I think if I had to pick just one thing to have prepared for emergencies I would say "Emergency" or "911" Sheets.  Put these sheets on the fridge or hang them on the wall by your bedside; somewhere anyone can access them easily for you (and is out in the open). Here are my suggestions regarding the content of the sheets (it looks like a lot, but I'm wordy and "detail-y: again - it won't take you too long to do this).
First Page 

• Write in red marker (or printer ink) "911" or "Emergency" on the top half of a blank sheet of paper. Everyone can find it then, and that's a good thing. 
• On the bottom half, have step-by-step instructions for the person using the sheets. Some of the instructions may sound silly or too fourth-grader-ish, but remember that people are often nervous in a crisis, or nervous because they're worried about you. So, keep it simple. For instance:Dial 911.  

1. Ask for an Ambulance. 
2. For: John Doe
3. The address: 4444 Something Avenue, Suite 16, Timbuktu (and list whether farm or apartment, house, etc)
4. Nearest cross street (sometimes they ask, sometimes they don't)
5. State the problem (now, if you know the reasons you would need to call 911 you can list them here, or you can just leave this space (after problem) blank for the one calling in.
6. Other health conditions (list the most important/relevant ones here. They don't need to know about nosebleeds and hemorrhoids. Keep it relevant and simple: cared for at home due to brain injury/malnutrition/heart condition, etc)

Note Ask anyone who may be calling 911 for you (caregivers, family, but probably not the pizza delivery man) to read through the instructions so as to clarify anything they are concerned about prior to any emergency.

Also, note that the caller will have to answer questions posed by the 911 operator such as "Is the person in crisis unconscious, or confused,"or "are they having chest pain?" and other such questions that should be fairly obvious and easy to answer in the moment. As an aside, at this point I'd like to share a laugh with you (note:  I am alive today because of the amazing 911 responses and I am very grateful for them - but I still think it's funny, and mean no disrespect :).  The fun part is that I have called 911 for myself on several occasions, and a few times now I have been asked if I am conscious. I hope so! If not, I am a walking miracle!! I've done some cool stuff in my life, but never so amazing as to be unconscious and still having a conversation with a 911 operator (which I might add includes providing information that has thus far always resulted in successfully directing them to my house)! The relevance here: some of the 911 operators read off questions from a list. Try not to take offence - it has nothing to do with you.

The Following page(s) (have a few copies of this section so that you can easily give 1 to the paramedics, 1 to the triage nurse at the hospital, 1 for the physician that will see you, and a spare for yourself to make answering their questions easier for you).

• Identifiers:Your name, Date of Birth, Health Card Number (and health card number version code for those of you in Ontario), and any relevant insurance policy numbers.
• Emergency Contact Numbers Who they are to call with respect to next of kin. If there is a cell phone number that's wonderful. Include an alternate person as well.
• Particulars Your weight (useful for calculating doses), and age 
• Medical History What conditions/diseases/disorders you have such as diabetes, a heart murmur, cancer, irritable bowel, etc.).
• Drug Allergies - and any other serious allergies you may have.
• Hydration/nutrition - This is meant for those who are on an IV (intravenous) or feeding tube regularly. List the rates and amounts.
• Current medications Include the name (nexium), the strength (40mg), and the frequency (morning and bedtime)
• Last Doses This is rarely necessary, but if you have recurrent maladies - infections for example, the last time you were on antibiotics this year is important. If it's procedures instead, list the last time those procedures occurred.
• Medical Team Members Names and phone/fax numbers of your family physician, specialists, home-care case manager, etc.
• Update Include the date of the last time you updated the sheets. I recommend each month, but if not much changes in that month then perhaps every 2 months should be the goal. I also suggest that you make extra copies each time you update to give to the non-emergent medical team members (like the dietician, physiotherapist, etc). It's handy for their records, and saves you time and energy too.

     I know this may seem like a lot of work, especially considering that you can't exactly be sure that you will be going in to the emergency, or that the sheets will be necessary for each of the additional medical team members. However, it really doesn't take that long, and if you do go in, it may be harder to think of all of that info while at the hospital (without the bottles to look at, the specialist's name that you hardly ever call, etc). If you keep a sheet for yourself each time too, you have the numbers you need at hand in the emergency room, and, miracle of miracles... when you are able to give these sheets to the medical professionals, you don't have to go through the same routine of verbally going over and over the info in that time frame, or at least not in as great detail. So much easier!!!!

    I hope that you try this. Even if you never use it, to me it is like the boy scout mantra; be prepared. Why? If it can save you loads of stress in a crisis, repetition during the mundane, and safety in an emergency. So why not? 

Happy Preparing!

Tip #82 Form Frenzy; The Receipt Binder

       There are many circumstances in which people are able to submit medical receipts, and be reimbursed for some, most, or all of the expenses. Whether it's an insurance company you are submitting to, or simply keeping them for tax write offs (or anything in between), it makes sense to keep the receipts as orderly as possible to make sure you're not missing out on getting reimbursed.
     However, when you're very ill and/or your family/caregivers have extra duties on their plates each day, it is easy to say "we'll deal with that later/when you're better/when we have time/when we're not so tired..." The problem is that even with the best intentions, that time never comes all that often, and then it's a big project. Enter the receipt binder...
    The solution is so easy it seems silly to consider it, but it works.

1. Buy a binder and dedicate it only to keeping track of receipts, and buy page protectors (clear plastic sleeves that are hole-punched, and are open at the top). 
2. Label 32 page protectors (one each from #1 to #31 plus a protector labelled "next month")
3. Use a label or tape a piece of paper to the cover of the binder to note the month, and keep the binder in an easy to access location.
4. Let everyone (family, caregivers) know that anything delivered, and or any receipt from something caregivers have picked up for you MUST (pretty please) automatically go into the binder (If they bought it on the 12th, it goes into page protector #12). 
5. Use the extra "next month" page protector to temporarily keep receipts for the first few days of the next month (in case you are not able to do expenses submissions exactly on the last day of the month).
6. If you want to be even more organized, I would suggest that you 
1. Keep labels and a marker (for changing the front cover)  
2. Keep a checklist of what you've submitted and/or how much you've submitted for, and enter the date on which you mailed them.

I think that is it. If you only need to submit annually, then downsizing to 12 protectors (one for each month) is still helpful. 

Happy receipting!