GATHERING INFORMATION

If you are trying to provide or manage care from a distance, it will be essential for you to find out about the physical health and medical history of your family member, including current health problems.  You will want a list of doctors', dentists', pharmacist's, and other health care providers' names, addresses and phone numbers.

You will need to know about allergies, medications, limitations, and adaptive devices or equipment that may be required. In order to make any decisions; you will need to determine the nature and degree of assistance needed by your family member to accomplish the activities of daily living, in the areas of physical self-maintenance and self-sufficiency. You will need a list of people, who currently provide social and emotional support, so that you can coordinate care from a distance. You will want to know whether the environment is safe, sound, and secure so that you can make arrangements to correct any questionable situation and prevent future crises.

You will need information pertaining to health resources (Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance), and income sources (Social Security, pensions, annuities and investments), to ensure that your loved one's bills are paid and that he or she is getting the benefits and entitlements that are due.