My Health in Hand Healthcare Organizer

My Health in Hand (Healthcare Organizer)
by Debbie Cancade-Schmidt, Shauna Baumann, and Sheila Warner-Johanson
Published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing
Review by Shelley A. Leedahl
$24.95 ISBN 9-781927-756812

Do you envy those who seem ultra-organized? They can find whatever they need immediately, because they’ve taken the time to establish a system. We all know how easy it is to lose track of important information – you know, appointments scribbled on scraps of paper, or receipts from the drugstore. Wouldn’t it be great to have one handy place to store all this critical healthcare material? I believe it would, and thus I’m pleased to hold in my hands my brand new system: My Health in Hand, a practical and user-friendly healthcare organizer.

The trio of women who thought up the idea for My Health In Hand, a sturdy, coil-bound record-keeping book that would fit in a purse or glove compartment, must have had quite the brainstorming sessions, for they seem to have considered everything one needs to manage healthcare details. Users begin by completing the “My Profile” pages, with spaces for critical details like hospitalization number, next of kin, and your doctor’s phone number. Beyond the usual information, the authors provide useful tips, ie: “It may be helpful to note down your license plate number for emergency parking.” Yes, for those of us who can’t recall this number when needed, that’s an excellent, time-saving tip! There’s even a spot in which to record piercings: evidence that the creators are contemporary-minded.

The next two sections are dedicated to an individual’s comprehensive medical and family histories, with pages of space to record surgeries, hospitalizations, and immunizations/vaccines. This may be particularly useful when one needs to update travel vaccinations. There’s room for providing the health history of one’s parents and up to six family members – information which could be invaluable re: genetic conditions.

With My Health in Hand you can quickly and easily record your medication details, keep track of appointments with specialists, and even include your advanced care plan (“living wills, medical power of attorney, healthcare proxy, and do not resuscitate orders”) in the back-page envelope. Documenting end-of-life wishes in your all-inclusive heathcare organizer makes wise sense.

This 96-page publication, produced by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing (and with the support of Creative Saskatchewan), is also a visual pleasure, and it’s designed to “stand up” to frequent use. The attractive front cover image – a robust woman leaping on a beach with the ocean and an expansive blue sky behind her – is on thick, glossy paper that neatly folds over and hides the sturdy coils that bind the pages.

We’re an aging society, and while it’s easy to dismiss conversations about end-of-life choices due to emotional discomfort, these are important discussions we need to have with our families. This booklet would make a thoughtful gift for aging parents, and a side benefit would be time spent with family members while helping fill their information out.

Debbie Cancade-Schmidt, Shauna Baumann, and Sheila Warner-Johanson, thank you. Owning My Health in Hand ensures that even the most disorganized among us have at least one integral part of our lives – our comprehensive healthcare information – at easy reach.

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM WWW.SKBOOKS.COM