Setting your health record straight: tips and advice
Whether you’ve received an unexpected health scare or you just want to take back control of your health, you’re likely to want to have a clear record of your history and treatments, and access to all of your important information in one safe place.
Having everything stored safely and securely in one central location is the key to having peace of mind. While this organisation might seem overwhelming, there are systems available that can help ease the burden of getting your affairs in order, while also keeping doctors and loved ones informed of your decisions.
Gathering your medical records
If you have frequent doctor’s appointments, or are seeing different specialists across various locations, it’s so important to have one central location to keep track of all of your medical history.
By giving doctors and family members access to all your documents, you can provide everyone with a more accurate picture of your health, and make things less stressful for your family, who know exactly where to go in case of an emergency.
Systems like LifeBank can help you securely upload and record all of your medical information. From there, everything is stored safely offline, and is readily available to your loved ones, doctors and lawyers if and when needed.
It’s a good idea to store doctor’s letters, key medical contact details, pathology results, x-rays, scans, past prescriptions, and any other information related to your health and medical appointments.
Gathering legal and financial information
But what about non medical-related information? Like many, it’s normal to feel anxious about including all the information that your loved ones might need. This is where LifeBank can help as well. With a detailed list of suggested categories of private information, LifeBank can make this step far less stressful.
Types of documents you might like to think about include:
Investment and financial information, such as trusts, superannuation, pensions and shares, details on funeral plans
Real and personal estate details
Business information, such as loans, assets and succession plans
Living wills and enduring Powers of Attorney
Some other key things to consider are checking that your enduring power of attorney documentation is up-to-date, as well as your advanced healthcare directive.
It’s normal to feel uncertain about your wishes for future medical treatment, but as your situation changes, it’s so important that you revise your advanced healthcare directive. Importantly, discuss any changes with your loved ones, so that everyone understands and respects your wishes.
Using a system like LifeBank also makes it easy to record your wishes for more specific matters, such as your wishes for end-of-life care and any spiritual or religious practices you would like to have carried out when you pass.
Include more personal matters
Aside from financial and legal documents, you may like to include in your file more personal matters, such as notes or letters for certain family members and friends, photographs or memories. There’s no limit on what you can include - anything you’d like to leave behind as a legacy for your family.
Planning now to reduce heartache later
While you might find it difficult to think about these things now, being organised and clear on your wishes for your future healthcare can be quite empowering.
Knowing that everything your loved ones might need is in a secure, easy-to-access location can give you some peace of mind and reduce the possibility of family heartache later.