I came up with this idea when I was taking care of my mother as she got older and was making more and more trips by ambulance to the hospital. I was getting fed up with the constant questions the ambulance crew were always throwing at my mother and she didn't always know the answers. I typed up a fact sheet on the computer with all her pertinent information, full name, age, date of birth, complete medication list, doctors info (even his phone numbers) diseases and illness, past surgeries, etc. Anything and everything that I thought the ambulance crew and the hospital needed to know about her at a moment's notice was included on this fact sheet. When the ambulance crew was finished with it, they could, in turn, pass it along to the hospital staff. It even had the dates of her last hospital visit and any changes in meds. The ambulance staff, the hospital staff and her doctor all thought this was a very good idea. If someone lives alone, a family member can type this up and leave it in a prominent place should the need ever arise for it. I updated it every time there was any changes made concerning her and always had it available when needed.
Great idea. I wish I had done that when I was taking care of my aunt before she passed away. About a yr. ago when I had out-patient surgery, I had pertinent info written down. A woman I was sitting next to in the waiting room said she had never thought of that. I always get nervous around doctors, hospitals, etc. - did not have to concentrate too hard on my answers - had everything right in front of me on my note pad.
I've typed one up for various family members. It's very handy to have when something happens. We included what the medication was for also. I typed them up in Excel. But that's mostly because I love using it.
This is helpful even when making office visits. I have a form like this. If I have to fill out a similar form, I just attach mine. If the office tells me it's THEIR policy to use their form, I reply that it's MY policy to use mine. :smile sweetly:
Also, it rarely fails that a nurse or an aide asks me which medication I take. I have a wallet-sized list that I keep up to date to hand them. I use Word and get four on a page.
O.
p.s. I am a retired doctor. I think it's a scandal how much paper is wasted, and how often you have to fill out the same information.
I have a link that I think you may find very useful.
www.vialoflife.com
You can actually print out a form which includes just about all medical info you can think of. I have my hubby's and my info in a plastic sheet protector, and placed the red decal on the outside of it, which you can also print out from the site. I have taped it to the side of our refrigerator and also plan to tape one on the visor in our vehicle. From what I understand, the paramedics are trained to look for these....if possible. I have also included a copy of our "Living Will" and "DNR" papers. Best of all, it is FREE. I hope this helps!
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