Organization: A Key to Caregiving

Paperwork is an inevitable element of caregiving. Service providers require financial information and health professionals require insurance information and completed medical forms. As a caregiver, you will want to locate all legal, financial and insurance documents, which belong to your loved one. In most cases, locating, reviewing and organizing documents is time-consuming and tedious. You may not know where certain information is located. In the case of persons with Alzheimer's disease, the paperwork may not be filed where it normally would be for your loved one. If this is the case, you may find yourself sorting through piles of papers located in different places, both inside and outside of the house. Listed below are a few common places to look for records:

• File cabinets
• Dresser or desk drawers and closets
• Attic, garage and basement
• Under the bed
• Scrapbooks
• Safe deposit box or safe
• Attorney's or accountant's office
• Another relative's home
• The home of the executor of the will

To help you organize your search, you may consider developing a care log that itemizes the location and status of various documents. Once you have found certain papers, you will want to keep track of where they are located and what action needs to be taken. The care log below is an example of the type of information you may need to collect.

Sample Care Log
LA - located and available	UD - needs to be updated	C - make a duplicate
LN - located, but not available	GD - get document	L - lost, request duplicate
DOCUMENTS	STATUS	COMMENTS
Legal documents
Birth Certificate	________
Social Security card	________
Marriage license(s)	________
Divorce decree(s)	________
Military records	________
Will	________
Living will	________
Power of attorney	________
Health care power of attorney	________
Legal agreements	________
Financial documents
Checking account	________
Savings account	________
Retirement account	________
Stock certificates	________
Savings bonds	________
Real estate deed/title	________
Automobile title	________
Investment income	________
Other income	________
Mortgage statement	________
Property tax statement	________
Lease agreement	________
Utility & phone statements	________
Doctor/hospital bills	________
Credit cards	________
Insurance documents
Auto	________
Homeowners	________
Life insurance	________
Medicare	________
Medigap	________
Long-term care	________
Disability	________
Liability	________
Other ________________________________________
Other ________________________________________

Compiled by the Lincoln/Greater Nebraska Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, 1999.