OPTED Magazine

Congress and the public are feverishly debating health care reform and flu season is looming — and it’s the perfect time to organize first aid, medicines and your health care documentation.

The first step to organizing your first aid supplies and medicines is establishing a central location in your home for all of your materials.  My personal solution is a basic plastic bucket that includes all of my essentials.  Having everything in one place ensures that you know exactly where supplies are in case of an emergency.  When you’re in pain or need a remedy, the last thing you want to face is not knowing where to find first aid essentials.

A second consideration is the safety of your first aid and medicine supplies.  With children in the house, child-proof tops on medicine containers and storing your central bucket out of reach is an important factor.  At the same time, you may find it necessary to separate medicines from band aids, so that even younger children will have access to things like band aids in a second bucket, should they be needed.

The next step is doing an inventory of your current first aid supplies and medicine.  Check expiration dates of your medicines and replace them as necessary and evaluate if you’re missing important basics using this handy check list.

The last step in the process is organizing your medical records.  Your system should include (at a minimum) information on doctor contact information, blood types, allergies and a history of medical procedures and medicine that have been prescribed.  If you’re looking for something more organized and functional than a basic “pen and paper” solution, check out this Family Health Organizer selling at an affordable price at Amazon.com

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