What to bring to a doctor appointment for an elderly parent
A fifteen-minute appointment goes further when the paperwork is in your hand and the questions are already written down. This is the checklist for the bag and for the notebook.
In the bag
- Insurance and Medicare cards, and photo ID.
- The current medication list, copied from the labels, including anything over the counter.
- The healthcare directive or medical power of attorney, if the clinic has not seen it.
- Notes from the last visit, and any letters or results that came since.
- A list of other doctors involved, with phone numbers.
Written down beforehand
- The two or three things you most want answered, in order.
- Anything that has changed since the last visit: a fall, a new symptom, a medicine that was stopped or started, a change in appetite, sleep or mood.
- What your parent wants from the visit, in their words.
During the visit
- Ask the questions in order; the first one gets the most time.
- Write the answers next to the questions, in the doctor's words where you can.
- Before leaving, ask what should happen next and when, and who to call in between.
Afterwards
- Write up the outcome the same day, while it is fresh.
- Update the medication list if anything changed.
- Add the next appointment and any tasks, with a name on each.
How Alderbook does it
Each appointment in Alderbook holds the questions to ask and the outcome notes afterwards, and can be exported on its own as a PDF. The care summary (conditions and allergies as you wrote them, the medication table, contacts, and which documents are on file) is one page to hand over at reception. Tasks that come out of a visit go on the sibling task list with a name and a date.
Alderbook stores what you enter. It gives no medical or legal advice.
Price: Free for one person and 10 documents. $49.99 once for everything else. No subscription.
Printable appointment sheet
Print it with your browser (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P); only the template prints. Or keep it in Alderbook, which fills it in for you.
Person: ______________________________
Appointment with: ______________________________
Date and time: ______________________________
Purpose: ______________________________
In the bag: ☐ insurance and Medicare cards ☐ photo ID ☐ medication list ☐ directive or POA ☐ last visit's notes ☐ letters and results since
Changes since last visit: ______________________________________________
| Question, in order | Answer, in the doctor's words |
|---|---|
What happens next, and when: ______________________________________________
Who to call in between: ______________________________________________
Filled in: an example
Fictional people and entries, to show the level of detail that helps.
Person: Margaret Ellis
Appointment with: Dr Osei, Main Street Clinic
Date and time: Tue 15 Sep, 10:30 am
Purpose: Three-month check
Changes since last visit: Dizzy on standing twice last week. New glasses from the eye clinic.
| Question, in order | Answer, in the doctor's words |
|---|---|
| Is the dizziness something to look into? | Yes; recorded the times. Recheck at the next visit. |
| Can the evening tablet move earlier? | Fine to take with the evening meal. |
| Referral for the hearing test? | Sent today; the clinic will call. |
What happens next, and when: Hearing clinic to call within two weeks. Next visit in three months.
Who to call in between: The clinic nurse line, 555-0142.
Alderbook stores what you enter and gives it back in a useful shape. It gives no medical or legal advice, calculates nothing about medication, and does not store passwords or account logins.