Any family member with a medical history that could possibly require calling 911 should have their papers in order. This will speed up and improve the quality of medical care in an emergency. As a medical professional, I personally do this for my parents, and recommend it to others. Sometimes, this is also referred to as ICE (In Case of Emergency) paperwork.
You can easily create this one sheet of emergency information on your computer. Here is what it should look like:
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Last Update: date the form was last updated
Name: patient name
DOB: 1/23/1945 (date of birth)
Baseline:
Alert (vs unresponsive), not confused (vs confusion), walks without assistance (vs cane, walker, etc.)
Medical History:
High Blood Pressure, Asthma.
Allergies:
Penicillin (rash), Peanuts (anaphylaxis).
(Don't include mild seasonal or pet allergies)
Medications:
albuterol
aspirin
metoprolol
Primary MD: McDoctorson, Bones MD (Metropolis City Hospital)
Specialist MD: (cardiologist, etc. if applicable)
Insurance Information:
Name of insurance
Policy number
Residence:
Patient's home address & phone
Emergency Contact:
List two contacts, address & phone (spouse, local adult children)
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That's it, you're done. Now, print out 3 copies of this form and keep them with the patient's medications. Medications should all be kept in the same place, paramedics will usually ask for them, and now your information is there as well.
One copy can be given to the paramedics when they arrive, one copy to the nurse at the hospital when they start asking information-- and you have one more, in case someone else needs it.
Keep the information updated, if anything changes.