How to organize a parent's medical and insurance papers

To organize an elderly parent's papers, gather them in one place, scan the ones you'll need into a single folder on your phone, and set a reminder for every letter with a date on it. ScanMojo is free on iPhone and Android with no ads: it reads the dates on a letter, suggests a reminder, and finds any paper later by a word on it. Reminders are free for three at a time.

  1. 1

    Gather everything in one spot

    Ask your parent where papers usually land: a drawer, a desk, the kitchen counter, the car. Bring it all to one table, and do it together if you can, so they know what you're keeping and why.

  2. 2

    Make a folder for their papers

    In Files, tap New Folder and name it after your parent. The free app includes three folders of your own, so their papers stay apart from yours and search still finds everything.

  3. 3

    Scan cards with ID

    Choose ID under the viewfinder for their driver's license and insurance cards and scan the front, then the back. Cards go into the built-in IDs folder, which can be locked with your face or fingerprint.

  4. 4

    Scan the letters and bills

    Tap Scan and hold the phone over each page. A letter with several pages goes into one document, and ScanMojo names it for you from what's on the page. Choose Move to Folder and pick your parent's folder.

  5. 5

    Set a reminder for anything with a date

    Open a letter that asks for something by a date, tap the ••• menu and choose Remind Me…. Under "Dates in this document", pick the date or set your own, choose how early to hear about it, and tap Save. Check the date against the letter.

What to scan first

Insurance: the front and back of every card, health, Medicare, dental, drug plan or long-term care, plus the latest plan letters. In the fall, open enrollment and renewal letters arrive, and they often have a date to act by.

Medical: the current medication list, recent visit and hospital discharge summaries, and the names and numbers of their doctors and pharmacy. Replace the medication list when it changes, so nobody reads out an old dose.

Bills and notices: anything that asks for a payment, a form or a call back, and statements for the accounts you help with.

Legal papers: copies of a power of attorney, health care proxy, advance directive or will, if your parent has them and is happy for you to keep a copy. Keep the signed originals where your parent and the people named in them can find them.

Reminders for their deadlines, not just yours

Reminders are free for three at a time, so start with the soonest dates: a premium due, a form to send back, an appointment letter. When one is handled, choose Mark as done and that place is free again; a reminder also stops counting once its day has passed. ScanMojo Pro has as many reminders as you need.

For a driver's license or passport, Remind Me can remind you 6 months before the expiry date, which leaves time to renew. To see everything coming up, open Tools and then Reminders. Dates found in your other scans show under "Found in your documents", ready to set with one tap on the bell.

ScanMojo suggests dates from the page; it doesn't decide what a letter means. If you're unsure what a bill or notice is asking for, call the number on it.

Sharing with family, and keeping it private

To send a sibling or a doctor's office a copy, open the document and tap Share to send it as a PDF. Everything else stays on your phone: pages are read on the phone, there's no account, and your scans aren't stored on our servers. They leave your phone only if you share them or turn on sync to your own iCloud Drive or Google Drive.

Your parent's papers carry health details and account numbers, so use a passcode on your phone. The IDs and Passports folders can be locked; regular folders open with the app.

Questions

What documents should I keep for an elderly parent?

Most families start with insurance cards, a current medication list, recent medical summaries, bills and notices with a due date, and copies of legal papers like a power of attorney or advance directive. An elder law attorney can tell you which legal papers your parent needs.

Can ScanMojo remind me when my parent's bill or renewal is due?

Yes. It reads the dates printed on a letter and suggests them; you pick one, or your own, and how early to be reminded. Three reminders at a time are free, and ScanMojo Pro has as many as you need.

Does it set reminders by itself?

No. You choose each reminder from the dates it finds or a date of your own. Check the date against the letter before you rely on it.

Is it free?

Yes. Scanning, text recognition, search, three folders of your own, the IDs and Passports folders, PDF export and three reminders at a time are free, with no ads, no watermark and no scan limit.

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