Planning for a Caregiver Emergency
If you or someone you know is a Caregiver to a senior who requires regular care and/or supervision, then there are a few easy yet invaluable steps to take now, in the event of a caregiver emergency in the future. If, for example, you are involved in an accident outside of your home or a personal medical emergency at home, it’s important that it be known you have a direct responsibility to a senior care recipient. Emergency personnel (police, fire department, and/or emergency room professionals) should be aware that you are a caregiver and that someone is counting on you for their own health and safety. Here are some steps to take now:
Carry an emergency ID card prominently in your wallet that identifies you as a caregiver, the name and location of your care recipient, and lists another caregiver or family member with phone number. An example can be ordered here or consider these options: https://www.americanmedical-id.com/caregivers
Post an emergency card on your refrigerator with information similar to the above. List essential medical information and prescriptions. Paramedics are trained to look at the refrigerator for information on you, and will have the information they need to ensure the safety of your care recipient as well (whether they live in the home or at another residence), should you have a personal medical emergency at your home.
Keep a photo on your smartphone of immunization card(s) – your card and your care recipient’s card – should it be needed as a record of immunizations. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the distribution of vaccination cards, it’s a good idea to have these readily available. Digital vaccine passports may become a reality in the future, but for now your paper vaccination record card is a valuable possession.
As a complement to these precautionary measures, a solid caregiving plan can include an online location where help for the care recipient can be activated when the main caregiver is injured, ill or otherwise unavailable. Alice’s Way offers the “It Takes a Village” package to help with such a circumstance. Learn more here.
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