Emergency care: A checklist for ageing parents

Submitted by Emma Hamilton on Fri, 04/09/2009 - 12:44pm

Caring for ageing parents often means spending a great deal of time making emergency visits to the hospital or taking an ageing parent to specialist medical appointments.

In some cases if a spouse cannot be contacted or your parent has difficulties communicating, emergency staff may rely on you to give them the information they need about your parent's health. This information will be vital to help them make the best treatment choices for your parent.

It will also come in handy when dealing with nursing agencies and residential care facilities as you could find yourself repeating the same information over and over again.

Checklist of information for emergency care

Write the following information down and keep it handy. Remember to inform other family members.

Doctor's name and number: Your parent's doctor will be able to inform hospital staff of your parent's medical history as well as current medical problems.
Birth dates: Can be easy to forget.
Allergies: Is your parent allergic to penicillin or other medications?
List of current medications: Emergency staff will want to know what medications your parent is taking to avoid adverse drug reactions or medication side effects. Do they take warfarin? (blood thinners)
Medical problems: Do you know your parent's main medical problem? Do they have heart disease, dementia, diabetes or lung disease? Has your parent recently fallen? Does your parent have memory loss?
Advance Health Care Directive: Has your parent an Advanced Health Care Directive? Does their doctor have a copy and who have they appointed as their enduring guardian? This information will influence the decisions of health care professionals and treatment choices.
Religion: Does your parent have any religious or cultural beliefs that will influence medical treatment or end of life care?
Insurance and medicare: Do you know the name of your parent's private health provider and member n.o? Medicare number?
Prior surgery/medical procedures: List any past operations or medical procedures. Are you aware of any recent X-rays or blood tests? Does your parent have a pacemaker?
Lifestyle: Does your parent smoke? Drink alcohol? Are they physically active?