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We are a mobile society. We move. Our doctors and dentists move. Things change. If you keep good records, you won't spend endless hours tracking down information that was so readily available at one time. So, keep simple medical records in your Information Binder! If you need more detailed information, you will know who to call and how to reference the material you need. It only takes a few minutes to complete your notes and you will find a new sense of control over your own life, plus have a place to put important medical information you receive.

As noted elsewhere about the Information Binder, you will want to prepare some binder dividers for "Household Information" and some dividers for "Personal Information" about your family. For the "Medical Information" section of the Information Binder, prepare a binder divider for each member of your family and label it "Dad-Rx", "Mom-Rx", "Tom-Rx" and "Sue-Rx", etc. You probably won't get into this section of the Information Binder as often as the others, so keep these dividers in the rear of the binder.

Behind these dividers you may want to make up simple forms for keeping notes. You will need one form per person for doctor's visits and one for dental visits. Each of these sheets should have a place for: Date, Doctor/Dentist, Reason for Visit. Other sheets can be prepared for prescriptions, immunizations, childhood diseases, and maternity records (for the mother in the house). Keep special medical instructions, county immunization cards, and other medical information you receive in the appropriate places.

When you go to a medical professional or get a prescriptions or have shots, take a minute when you get home to note dates, reasons for the visit, prescription numbers, kinds and amounts of medication, etc. It will be well-worth your trouble.

When you children are grown and move from the house, make a copy of the record for yourself, and then give them this medical history to keep for themselves. It will aid them in understanding their own medical past as they navigate adulthood and have their own families. It may even motivate them to keep their own medical records.