I Love My Parents. I Do Not Love Their Filing System
- Kimberly Whiter
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
By Kimberly Whiter
There comes a moment in many adult children's lives when they realize their parents have a filing system. Unfortunately, it often consists of several shoeboxes, a kitchen drawer, three reusable grocery bags, and a mysterious pile of papers that has been sitting on the dining room table since the Obama administration.
I recently worked with a family whose father confidently told us, "Everything important is right here." He then opened a closet. Inside were tax returns, insurance policies, military records, appliance manuals, birthday cards, expired warranties, and approximately 4,000 pieces of paper that all looked equally important. To his adult children, it looked like an archaeological dig.
When a medical crisis happens, families often need information quickly.
Where is the health insurance card? Who is the financial power of attorney? Where are the bank accounts? Is there a will? Has anyone updated the beneficiary information?
These questions often arrive at the worst possible moment. During a hospitalization, after a fall, or when a major life decision needs to be made quickly. Family caregivers can spend hours searching through file cabinets, boxes, drawers, and stacks of papers trying to piece together critical information. Meanwhile, stress levels continue climbing.
One of the greatest gifts older adults can give their families is organization. No one is asking for color-coded binders worthy of a professional organizer's television show. A simple system or one location for important documents works great!
Ready to get started?
Step 1: Gather these up. No organizing yet.
• Insurance cards
• Legal documents
• Financial account information
• Medication lists
• Emergency contacts
• Healthcare providers
• Military records, if applicable
• Password instructions or digital asset information
Step 2: Put it all in ONE place.
Step 3: Categorize it in a way that makes sense to you.
Step 4: Review the information annually and update anything that has changed.
At Elder Care Solutions, we often help families navigate situations where critical information is scattered across multiple locations. Sometimes the hardest part of caregiving is finding the paperwork needed to make the decision. If you're the adult child reading this, thinking about your parents' paperwork situation, give us a call.
Comments