Is your senior parent prepared for an emergency hospital visit? If they’re not and they are living independently, they should be. When an accident happens, like a fall, your senior parent is going to need some things with them in the emergency department while they wait to get seen.
Pack a backpack or bag labeled with their name to ensure your senior parents have everything they need. Keep it in a front hall closet, the pantry, or somewhere else that it’s easy to grab.
If your senior parent has in-home care, make sure the in-home care provider knows where the bag is. That way, they can make sure the bag goes with your senior parent to the emergency department if there is an accident or a fall.
Five things that should be in every senior’s hospital bag are:
Medical Information
In the bag should be a binder with a list of your parents’ current medications (including dosages), medical conditions, allergies, and the contact information for their primary care physician and any specialists they see regularly. Of course, all of this information will be available in their electronic chart, but in the emergency room, it’s faster to have all this information available immediately to give to the staff.
Copies of important documents such as power of attorney, living will, and any advance directives that indicate their healthcare preferences should also be included. Make sure that any legal directives are original documents or notarized copies.
Identification and Insurance Cards
Also in the binder should be copies of their driver’s license or ID card, health insurance cards, Medicare or Medicaid cards, and any other relevant insurance information. Just like with their medical records, this information is available electronically, but it can speed up treatment if the staff at the ER can access it immediately.
In-home care providers should be made aware by a family of where the binder and bag are. They can also help review for any missing items.
Comfortable Clothing and Personal Items
Your mom or dad could wait a long time to be seen in the ER. In some areas now, people often sit in the ER for 24 hours or longer, waiting to get treatment because of high demand. So, make sure the bag has a change of comfortable clothes, including underwear and socks, as well as personal care items like a toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, and deodorant.
Comfort Items
If your senior parent is rushed to the emergency department, they may not be able to grab comfort items or adaptive items that they need. Make sure there are extras of the things they use daily, like a pair of glasses, hearing aids, headphones, medicated lotion, or any other items that they use daily for normal activities of living. Include a phone charger, too, because if they are in the ER for a while, they will need one.
When family caregivers are out of town or unavailable, having in-home care services to help their aging senior brings peace of mind.
Food And Water
Pack some juice boxes, a few bottles of water, and some shelf-stable snacks in the bag, too. You can never know if your senior parent will be able to get regular meals in the ER, so make sure they have access to water and snacks. Protein bars, small bags of dry cereals, fruit bars, dried fruit, and other snacks are great for seniors.
If you or an aging loved one are considering In-Home Care in Carmel Valley, CA, please contact the caring staff at La Jolla Nurses Homecare today. Call (858) 454-9339
La Jolla Nurses Homecare is a top provider of home care services in San Diego, La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carmel Valley, Point Loma, Bankers Hill, Mission Hills, Kensington, Coronado, University City, Pacific Beach, and all of San Diego County.
Today we are the oldest and most experienced private duty agency in San Diego County.She saw a need for quality private duty home health care and she worked diligently to build an agency that filled that need.I am proud to say, her vision is carried on today with our dedicated staff.
I believe our tenure in the community speaks well for us.We have had the opportunity to be of service to countless interesting individuals, including local and worldwide celebrities.It is the people we care for that makes this a fascinating industry.Whether high profile or a more ordinary citizen, we are proud that thousands have entrusted us with their care or the care of their loved ones.Our Mission is to provide high quality, very secure and the most compassionate home health care.We believe that patients heal faster and are happiest when they can stay in their homes.”
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