Putting vital information at caregivers' fingertips

By NANCY PARADIS
Published April 24, 2007

What would you do if you had to parachute in to take care of an elderly parent in a crisis? Do you know who her doctors are, where she keeps her financial information, what medications she's on, who does her hair?

Enter The Senior Organizer by Debby Bitticks, Lynn Benson and Dorothy Breininger. Born out of necessity in their own lives when the authors were caring for aging parents and in-laws, the book offers one place to organize and record just about every bit of information you would need to know about your loved ones.

Part One of the book covers personal and medical matters, under headings such as emergency and doctor visit information, medical information, personal care, at home, personal interests and contacts.

Part Two tackles the legal and financial aspects of a life - experts and consultants, documents, bank and other financial accounts, ending with health directives and end of life.

An index allows for quick retrieval of this information, which can be useful in a crisis or emergency. In this era of identity theft, the suggestion is made to not record sensitive information but rather to indicate where to find it.

Billed as one-stop shopping for all your vital information, the cost of the book can ultimately save time, money and even, perhaps, a life.

REVIEW

The Senior Organizer

Debby S. Bitticks, Lynn Benson, Dorothy K. Breininger

Life Issues Publisher, 220 pages, $16.95

[Last modified April 24, 2007, 00:19:18]