The best time to plan for a medical emergency is before one happens. Use this checklist to be prepared in the event of a fall or any situation where you cannot call for help yourself.
Think like an emergency responder:
- Check that your house number is clearly visible from the road to provide quick access to your home.
- Hire someone who specializes in geriatric care to do a home assessment to ensure your current living situation is safe, teaching you how to mitigate potential risks.
- Learn more about medical alert devices, or apps for your smartphone or home smart speaker, which can dial 911 for you (especially if you are at-risk for heart attack or stroke).
- Note your preferred hospital emergency department if there is one in particular that you prefer.
Write it all down, creating lists with the following information:
- Names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of those who will need to be notified in case of emergency. This can include neighbors, family members and close friends.
- All of your physicians’ names, speciality and contact information (including physical address).
- Relevant past medical history, current health conditions and medications (including dosage and refill information).
- Known allergies to share with your caretakers and medical providers.
- A written (secure) record of your social security number for access by caretakers if needed.
- If you are religious, the names and contact information for your clergy so the proper religious practices are adhered to in cases of emergency.
Hope for the best, plan for the worst:
- Ensure that anyone who will play a caretaking role has been granted access to view and discuss medical records with your doctor(s).
- Create a healthcare proxy document that allows an assigned caretaker to make medical decisions for you if you are incapacitated.
- Write up a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment or advance directive document that indicates your wishes for prolonging life if you were to become incapacitated.
- Discuss your code status or do not resuscitate preferences in the case that you become unresponsive and require resuscitation.