At some point, you will probably get a call, usually at night or very early in the morning, that your senior parent who is aging at home has had an emergency. Maybe they have fallen down or maybe they have been taken ill or suffered some kind of accident. But when you have a senior parent those phone calls come with the territory. And when they happen you will need to snap into action fast. Having an elder care provider who is there with your senior parent can make these emergencies much easier to deal with. The senior home care provider can make sure that your parent gets any help that they need right away. But in order for you to be ready for a senior parent emergency you should:

Get A Go Bag Ready

When you get that call that your senior loved one has had an emergency you will go into autopilot mode. You won’t have the time or brain bandwidth to start packing everything you will need. You may be at the hospital for a while, or you may have to stay at your senior parent’s home for a while after they are released. You need to be ready for anything because you don’t know the extent of the situation at that point. That’s why you need to have a Go bag ready. In your Go back should be:

  • Phone chargers and tablet chargers
  • PJs
  • A few changes of clothes
  • Shoes
  • An extra set of toiletries
  • Toothbrush and toothpaste
  • Instant coffee or tea
  • Snacks
  • Any medications that you take

And anything else that you would need to get through a few days.

 

Know Where Hospitals Are

If your senior parent needs to go to a hospital do you know what hospital is closest to your parent’s house? Find out where the local hospitals are and what places take your senior loved one’s insurance. That way when you get that call about an emergency you can tell first responders what hospital you want your parent to be taken to for treatment. Talk with your senior loved one about what hospital they would want to be treated at and what rehab facility in the area they would want to go to if it was necessary for them to go to rehab.

 

Have All Your Parent’s Info Ready To Go

When your senior loved one is rushed to the hospital or has some other kind of emergency the treating physician will need to know what medications your loved one is taking and their general health history in order to give them the best care. Keep a binder that contains information on all the medications that your loved one takes and when they take those medications. In the binder also put copies of any other papers that you might need at the hospital like a copy of their insurance card, prescription card, medical history, and any other relevant papers. Get notarized copies of important documents so that the hospital will accept them.

 

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Elder Care in Phenix City, AL, please contact the caring staff at Prime Home Health today. Caring for Our Friends and Neighbors in Tallapoosa, Chambers, Lee, Macon, and Russell Counties! Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! 334.745.7966