Getting Started
Where do I start? It’s completely up to you. Some like to fill in the profile information first others start right away by creating their care team and inviting in care team members. There is no wrong place to start and no wrong or right amount of information to add or share. Below are some tips on getting started:
-Click on care recipient’s name to access their profile and add information such as primary care provider (physician) a profile picture, address and other contact information.
–The News tab is a place where you can read news articles, newsletters and information from industry experts related to caregiving and optimizing health.
-Invite in care team members by choosing the care team option in the user drop down menu on the upper right corner. Choose “add care team member” then type in the name and email address of the person you would like to add to your care team. Choose one of the default permission settings. You can designate care team members as emergency contacts here if you wish. Anyone you choose can be on your care team. This is for anyone you want to have updates or access to information in your care portal including family, healthcare providers or friends. They will receive an email requesting they choose a password and then they will have access to the things you give them permission to see. You can then adjust and fine tune their permission settings as you wish.
–Enter a note or update. The social tab is the place to share all types of information to share with your care team. This can be updates on basic day to day care, social visit notes much like a guest book or a place to connect with care team members from all over the world and collectively provide support and make important decisions. Add a photo from a visit to share with family and friends. You can also use this to give updates on medical information such as medical appointment recaps but you may choose to put those updates in medical notes, it’s up to you.
-Add events to the calendar by clicking on the date that you wish to add the event. Choose the type of event (medical or social) and the time of the event. If you want, there is an area to type notes about an event such as an address to an appointment or anything else you want to remind yourself or share with others.
–Click on the Medical tab to add primary medical conditions and allergies, medical records such as medical history, lab reports, insurance information, discharge planning and pre and post operative instructions. You can write and share notes specific to medical information here as well such as a note about a medical appointment or a cognitive assessment. Click on the conditions button to enter medical conditions and important allergy information. You can choose for these to show up on the sidebar too if you would like. Upload medical records into the documents section of the Medical tab. You can store as little or as many medical documents as you would like. Click on “upload file” and choose the document you want to load from your computer. Name your file and choose which folder you want to put it in, from the drop down menu. Click, upload and your file will be securely stored and available to you when you need to access it.
-Add up to date medications and pharmacy information in the Medications tab. Type the drug name into the search box. If the drug is in the data base, you can choose the dosage and form that matches your prescription, if it’s not in the database, you can click “Medication not found” to add your medication name, form, dosage and frequency. You can add herbal supplements and vitamins to your list as well.
-Keep track of regular measurements such as weights, blood pressure, oxygen use or pain scale by clicking on the “Biometrics” tab. You can even keep track of some laboratory trends such as Ca125 and Inhibin. To choose which biometrics you’d like to measure, simply click on “select biometrics” and click on the box next to the measurements you are interested in tracking. Your personal biometrics will then show up in your biometrics section. To add a new measurement click on “add” and type in the measurement.
-Click on the Legal tab to add information such as advanced directives, power of attorney forms or other important legal documents if you have them.
Questions
What is the administrators role? The administrator has access to every component of the site and is the only one who can invite in care team members. More than one care team member can have administrator access if you wish for them to.
Can I set up multiple accounts? Can I set up an account for my mother and one for my father? At this time, to do so you need to set up two individual accounts and use different email addresses for care team members. We are working on the ability to use one email address for care team members to be on multiple care recipient accounts.
Can I receive email or text notifications when a note, calendar event or biometric are entered? We are working on the notifications feature and it will be coming very soon.
Is there an alska app? We are also working on a mobile app and that will be available very soon.
Can I change my payment information? Yes, at any time you can click on “my account” under the user drop down menu on the upper right corner and change your payment information including your address or check your payment history.
How do I cancel my subscription? You can click on “cancel account” from the account page. If you have any problems you can email us at inquiries@alska.com