<!–[CDATA[Organizing and keeping an aging parent’s essential health information updated can feel overwhelming. If the senior has a chronic or life-limiting medical condition, multiple physicians and providers may be involved in their care.
Further complicating things is when several members of the family participate in caregiving. Each person needs ongoing access to the senior’s health information, as well as the ability to update others.
Fortunately, a variety of apps can make the process easier to manage.
Organizing Medical Information
First, let’s take a quick look at the tasks family members commonly need to organize on a senior loved one’s behalf:
- Appointment calendar: Having a calendar app that allows multiple people to access it is essential. If different adult children take the senior to different appointments, they can check and update the calendar to avoid any conflicts.
- Medication list: Mismanaging medication is a leading reason older adults find themselves in a hospital emergency room. For many families, this is one of the most challenging caregiving tasks. Seniors often take many different prescription medications. In fact, researchers estimate that twenty-five percent of adults between the ages sixty-five and sixty-nine take at least five prescription drugs a day. That number climbs to almost forty-six percent for ages seventy to seventy-nine. Keeping track of timing and dosage for each medication can be stressful. Having an app that allows for quick and easy updates is vital.
- Physician and provider contact information: An app that stores the names, addresses, phone, and fax numbers of everyone involved in the senior’s care is also helpful. From pharmacists and physicians to laboratories and outpatient therapy centers, there’s a lot of information to keep straight.
Helpful Organizational Apps for Family Caregivers
A few apps with features mentioned above and more include:
- My Medical
- GenieMD
- Health by Apple
- Personal Health Record
Our final suggestion is to talk with your family member’s primary care physician. Since most doctors are affiliated with a health care system, they may have an app that works with their electronic medical record. This makes it much easier to stay connected and on track.
Medication Management and Assisted Living
One of the services residents of assisted living communities utilize most is medication management. The community’s professional care team handles details from administering dosages at the right time to ordering prescription refills.
If you have questions about how Five Star Senior Living communities keep residents on track with their medications, call (853) 457-8271. One of our experienced team members will be happy to answer your questions and set up a time for you to tour a community and learn more!