Dear Savvy Senior,

To keep up with all the different doctors I see and medications I take, a friend recently suggested I start keeping my own medical records at home, but I'm not sure where to start. Can you offer any tips or suggestions on the best way to go about doing this?

Unorganized Annie

Dear Annie:

Keeping a set of your own personal health records is a great tool to help you get a better handle on your own health care, as well as avoid possible medical errors. Here are some tips to help you get started.

It's a fact that the more doctors you see, the more medical files you have. And the more scattered your medical records are, the higher your risk of drug errors, missed diagnoses, and other dangerous glitches. The solution: Keep a set of your own records at home. With all the self-help tools available today, it's easier than it sounds.

Helpful Tools

Today, there are literally dozens of Web sites, computer software and paper-based products (some are free; others charge) that can help you gather your medical information, create your health records and keep them updated. The idea: Having your own health history at your fingertips can ensure better, more coordinated care. To find a listing and links to all the different kinds of electronic and paper based self-help tools, visit www.myphr.com and click on "Tools and Resources", then click on "PHR Tools and Services".

Getting Started

To start your personal health record, you'll need to request a copy of your health records from all your healthcare providers, including your general practitioner, plus your eye doctor, dentist, and any other specialist you have seen. Find out if your records are in an electronic format you can access, or request paper copies.

Once you have your paper records in hand, keep them together in a file folder or binder so they're easy to find. Organize the information in a way that makes sense to you, but mark it clearly, so it makes sense to others as well. And be sure your loved ones have access to it if you become incapacitated. If your records are stored electronically (on your computer or a Web site), be sure they know where to find them, and have any necessary passwords for access.

After you've created your personal health record, be sure to take it with you to all doctor appointments and remember to keep updating it. To make your electronic health records portable, there are a number of handy USB flash drives (like www.medkey.com,www.emrystick.com, www.vitalkey.com) about the size of a house key that can hold your medical records and be updated easily.

What To Include

Here's a checklist of what should be included in your personal health record:

• Personal information: name, contact info, birth date, Social Security number.

• Emergency contacts, including phone numbers.

• Physicians, dentists, other specialists. Include addresses, phone numbers.

• Health insurance information.

• Living will, medical power of attorney, advance directive.

• Organ donation authorization, if any.

• List and dates of significant illnesses or surgeries. You could request and include a copy of your "discharge summary" from each hospital where a surgical procedure took place.

• Current medications and dosages. • Immunizations and dates.

• Allergies or sensitivities to drugs.

• Hereditary conditions in your family; important dates, e.g., father died of heart attack at age 50. See www.familyhistory.hhs.gov.

• Results of any recent physical exams.

• Opinions of specialists you saw.

• Important test results; dental and eye records.

• Correspondence with your health care providers.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to "The NBC Today Show" and author of The Savvy Senior books.

Divvying Up The Family Belongings

Dear Savvy Senior,

Do you have any suggestions on the best way to divide up your parents' personal possessions after they're gone? My parents, both in their 70s, are still living, but my two sisters and I got in a heated argument last month when Mom asked if any of us wanted her old sewing machine. It's not worth much, but it got me thinking that if we're fussing over this one item, how will we handle a house full of stuff when they eventually pass away?

Splitting Heirs

Dear Splitting:

Divvying up a family's personal belongings - usually the small, simple items of little monetary value- has long had the potential to ignite many family feuds, even for those families who enter the process with the best of intentions. That's because the value we attach to the small personal possessions is usually sentimental or emotional, and because the simple items are the things that most families fail to talk about. Here are some tips that may help.

Divvying Solutions

The best solution for passing along family possessions is for your parents to take a stroll through their house with their adult heirs- either separately or all at once, depending on how well they get along and how far apart they live. Open up cabinets, drawers and closets and go through boxes in the attic to find out which items they would like to inherit and why (they may have some emotional attachment to something you're not aware of). If more than one child wants the same thing, your parents can have the ultimate say. Then they need to sit down and make a list of who gets what on paper, signed, dated and referenced in their will. They may also want to consider writing an additional letter or creating a video that further explains their intentions.

If this isn't done- and for most families it isn't- here are some other tips that may help you avoid or resolve fights over possessions:

• Use stickers. Consider using colored stickers (or labels) to identify who gets what. Assign a different color to each person involved. If an item gets more than one sticker, you'll have to negotiate. But be aware that stickers can fall off or can be moved by unscrupulous heirs.

• Take turns choosing. Use a round robin process where family members take turns picking out items they would like to have. If "who goes first" becomes an issue, you can always flip a coin or draw straws. Also, to help simplify things, break down the dividing process room by room, versus tackling the entire house.

• Have a family auction. Give each person involved the same amount of "play money" or use "virtual points" to bid on the items you want.

• Have items appraised. Battles can erupt over whether things are being divided fairly by monetary value. Having an appraiser assess the value of items like jewelry, antiques and art can help assure a fair distribution.

• Think of other considerations. Some families take into account care-giving contributions, economic status or family situations when determining how to distribute property.

Savvy Tip: Experts at the University of Minnesota have created a great resource that addresses this very issue called, "Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate?" It offers a Web site (www.yellowpieplate.umn.edu) along with a detailed workbook for $12.50 plus shipping, and video or DVD for $30 that provides pointers to help families discuss property distribution and lists important factors to keep in mind that can help avoid conflict. Order a copy online or call 800-876-8636.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to "The NBC Today Show" and author of The Savvy Senior books.

The Gazette does not endorse the contents of The Savvy Senior. Check with professionals about the contents of this column.