Sandi created the Lifetime Medical Organizer for the love of her family during a medical crisis with her father. As she created organizers for others, she realized the value it provided beyond her family's needs. This value is what Sandi emphasizes in th

Lifetime Medical Organizer

A Simple Guide to Organizing Matters of Life and Health How-To Instructions and Forms IncludedBy Sandra J. Yorong Richard Schuttler

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2008 HH Legacy Productions LLC
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4343-7684-8

Contents

Chapter 1 My Story....................................................1Chapter 2 Lifetime Medical Organizer..................................8Chapter 3 Real Stories................................................11Chapter 4 Emergency Telephone Directory Form..........................15Chapter 5 Doctor Directory Form.......................................21Chapter 6 Other Important Contacts Form...............................27Chapter 7 Medicine Prescription Record Form...........................33Chapter 8 Daily Medicine Consumption Form.............................39Chapter 9 Next Appointment Form.......................................45Chapter 10 Family Medical History Form................................53Chapter 11 Appointment Notes Form.....................................59Chapter 12 Journal Notes Form.........................................65Chapter 13 Wills and Trusts...........................................71Chapter 14 Durable General Power of Attorney Form.....................74Chapter 15 Advanced Health Care Directives............................76Chapter 16 Other Important Documents..................................78

Chapter One

My Story

Introduction

In January 2007, my father died of lung cancer at the age of 82. At the time of his diagnosis, his doctor told him he had between four and six months to live. Unfortunately, that was not the case. He passed away only three short months later. As one can imagine, my family struggled with a tidal wave of emotions during these months. While my father was not young, we did not expect him to pass away so soon. Several months before he was diagnosed, he appeared as healthy as he had ever been.

During that short period of three months, my family was confronted with many issues and concerns about how to manage my father's care and approaching death. We had not dealt with anything like this before, and there was much to manage with my father's appointments, medications, eating habits, legal affairs, medical bills, and other related matters. My siblings and I were challenged with managing the logistics and concerns of everyone involved, but most importantly we had to balance the respect we had for our parents and the decisions that only they could ultimately make. My story, and that of my family, is why and how I created the Lifetime Medical Organizer. This organizer provided our family with much peace of mind during a difficult time; it is my hope it will do the same for you.

My Father

My father, the second oldest of eight siblings, was the patriarch of his entire family, which included four children, four grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.

As a teenager, my father assumed responsibility for his younger siblings when his older brother entered the military. My father dropped out of high school to work and help his parents support the family. He made sure that his four younger brothers stayed out of trouble, as well as protecting and providing for his two younger sisters. Both of his sisters adored him. One of my aunts once told me she was grateful to my father because he helped support her through college.

My father maintained that sense of responsibility until the end of his life. He was the one that everyone looked to for advice and guidance. He always made certain that his brothers provided for their families. If something happened to anyone in the family, one of the first telephone calls would be to my father. Until the end of his life, he remained close to his brothers and sisters and received the highest respect from his nieces and nephews. I remember at a family party, my male cousins were all sitting together having a good time when my father walked in-they all stood up to pay their respect and shook his hand. This is the kind of respect my father received from the family his whole life.

During my father's 82 years he made many friends. Even today, when I see them, they tell me my father "was a good man." Over the years, his friends have expressed how my father always had a kind word to share with them. My father did not do things in a grand way. He was a humble man, and his gestures of friendship were the same. As a father, he was strict, but he was also kind and gentle. He was more emotional than my mother; however, he had a way of balancing love and discipline that made us feel secure. He was our rock-not just to our family, but to the entire Yorong family. During his 82 years, many people turned to my father for love and guidance.

Even when he was in the hospital suffering, he still wanted to be strong for his family. It was understandable that everyone reached out to him and his family during his time of illness. My father was our family's hero!

My Mother

At the time of my father's death, my mother was 75 years old. She had been a homemaker married to my father for nearly 55 years. During these 55 years, she was a traditional Asian wife who managed the domestic duties and always took care of my father. My mother and father were inseparable, a true love story. It was understood that should my father take ill and need care during the marriage, she would be his primary caregiver.

My mother also came from a large family. She was the youngest of 10 children raised by traditional Chinese parents who preferred that she marry someone of the same race. Her father migrated from China to work in Hawaii; while there, he wed my grandmother as part of an arranged marriage. At the time they wed, my grandfather was 40 and my grandmother was 18. When my mother began dating my father, a man of Filipino descent, the relationship was not immediately accepted. It was only after my brother, the oldest sibling and only son in our family, was born that my Chinese grandparents began to accept my father. Over time, they embraced and respected my father for the good provider and husband he was.

My father often told us the story of how he had only 10 cents in his pocket the day he married my mother. Obviously, the relationship was meant to be, because my parents were soul mates and did everything together. For nearly 55 years, my father was the sole provider and my mother was a housewife. They ate breakfast together every morning, talked on the telephone almost every day during my father's lunch break at work, and always ate dinner together nightly. My mother did not drive, so they went everywhere together.

In their younger days, my parents would dance in the living room whenever a favorite song played on the television or radio. I would catch them snuggling on the sofa and even holding hands. After 55 years of marriage, we could still see the enormous love they had for each other. My mother tirelessly cared for my father during his illness. Even with all the pain and suffering my father went through in the hospital, he still managed to tell my mom she looked pretty.

As a small child growing up in Hawaii, my mother suffered an ear infection that was neglected. During that time, money was tight and my grandparents could not afford the necessary medical treatment. Due to the lack of medical care, the infection damaged my mother's eardrum and left her deaf in one ear. At the time of my father's illness, my mother's hearing capacity in her good ear declined to 15%. Although a...