Rehab Care Notebook: Quick Guide

It is a tool for you to use to keep track of important information about your child’s health and care. The notebook has been individualized for you and your child’s rehabilitation stay.

Use it to help you:

• Track changes in your child’s medicines or treatments.
• List phone numbers for health care providers and community organizations.
• Prepare for appointments.
• File information about your child’s health history.
• Share new information with your child’s primary doctor, public health or school nurse, daycare staff, and others caring for your child.

• Keep the Care Notebook where it is easy to find. This helps you and anyone who needs information in your absence.
• Add new information to the Care Notebook when there is a change in your child’s treatment.
• Take the Care Notebook with you to appointments and hospital visits so that information you need will be close at hand.

Step 1: Gather information

Gather health information you already have about your child. This may include reports from recent doctor’s visits, immunization records, a recent summary of a hospital stay, this year’s school plan, test results, or informational pamphlets.

Step 2: Choose what to keep in the Care Notebook

• What information do you look up most often?
• What information is needed by others caring for your child?
• Store other information in a file drawer or box where you can find it if needed. 

Step 3: Put the Care Notebook together

Each of us has our own way of organizing information. Here are some ideas for supplies used to create a Care Notebook:

• Tabbed dividers. Create your own sections.
• Pocket dividers. Store reports.
• Plastic pages. Store business cards and photographs