Create a Health Notebook: Free Cavendish Workshop

Thanks to a grant from the Cavendish Community Fund, part of the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association (CCCA), Chronic Conditions Information Network (CCIN), a non-profit organization based in Cavendish, is offering a free workshop on managing health information using a Health Notebook.

Keeping a personal health notebook is important for a variety of reasons including

• The person, who is living with a chronic or life threatening condition(s), and/or family/advocate, is responsible for making decisions about care and treatment. This can be an overwhelming task as multiple health providers are involved and the variety of paper and information being generated from tests, treatments, to say nothing of health insurance, is mind-boggling. The more organized you can be, keeping information centralized, the easier some decisions will be to make.

• Regardless of computers, your medical chart may not be available for a host of reasons: new doctor, emergency visit, computer clitch etc. Having the information in hand reduces errors.

• If something happens, what medications and other necessary information, will be available for family and health team. This is particularly important if several people are involved in someone’s care, such as adult children caring for an elderly parent. Having centralized health information, helps to simplify a complex situation.

To read more on this topic, check out Managing Health Information: Yours/Theirs Note that this blog, run by CCIN Co-Director Margo Caulfield, contains a variety of information helpful to those affected by chronic and/or life threatening conditions.

You should consider attending the workshop if you are: a caregiver, including adult children of aging parents; living with a chronic and/or life threatening condition; spouse or partner of someone with an illness; and/or are 65 or older.

The workshop includes all materials as well handouts:

• Advocacy

• Getting What You Need Checklist for Cavendish: A checklist for those living with a chronic condition; caregivers and/or seniors Cavendish edition.

• Healing the Whole Person: Ways to Increase Well-Being

As part of the workshop you will create your own cover art as well as selecting forms and other items relevant to your particular situation. Participants can make up to two Notebooks and there will be sufficient time to answer individual questions.

This workshop is free for those in the town of Cavendish, including second homeowners and those providing care to someone in town. The workshop, run by CCIN co-directors, Kathy Parsonnet and Margo Caulfield, will take place on Sept. 29, from 1-3 pm at the Cavendish Library in Proctorsville.

Registration by Sept 15 is required as space is limited. To register, please complete the form below and e-mail to margoc@tds.net

Name:____________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________

Phone Number: _____________________________________________

E.Mail Address: ______________________________________________

Number of Notebooks you would like to make. __ One __ Two

FMI: margoc@tds.net, call 802-226-7807.