Emergency Tips for EMS Week
Caregiver in Rockford MI
May 15-21 is EMS Week. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to review important information regarding emergency services and put plans and steps into place to handle these emergency 
situations in the context of your caregiver journey. This can help you to feel more confident about your parent’s ability to get through an emergency, and can make these situations smoother and less stressful.
Use these tips to help get valuable emergency plans into place for your parent during EMS Week:
- Post information. Having important information posted outside of your parent’s home or in a clearly visible area right inside the home can help to guide EMS workers should they need to respond to your parent’s home. This information can include thing such as Do Not Resuscitate orders, certain risky diagnoses that your parent has, or the presence of an animal in the house. Contact the local emergency services organizations in your area to discuss what information might be helpful and how to handle posting it effectively.
- Have an emergency key. If your parent is home alone and needs emergency medical attention it is unlikely that they will be able to get to the door to let EMS in. This means that there will need to be an emergency key available for them to use when they arrive. Either hide this key in a place that you can relay to the workers over the phone or have a neighbor hold one for use in these situations.
- Provide information clearly. When you need to call EMS for your parent, make sure that you express all information about the situation as thoroughly and clearly as possible. This should include all of the details that you can possibly think of that may help the emergency services providers handle the situation in the best way possible. This can include details such as your parent’s full name, medical issues, personal challenges and limitations, and the specific location where they are in the home. They can then use this information to determine the most appropriate approach to helping your parent.
- Use EMS responsibly. Especially for seniors who are dealing with cognitive limitations and challenges, it is extremely important that you reiterate that EMS is for emergency situations only. Your parent should not call EMS for minor issues, when they are lonely or want companionship, or when they need something handled around the house. While this is a common occurrence, it causes serious issues for the emergency services organizations. Go over situations when calling EMS would be appropriate and when it would not. Be sure to provide contact information for you as well as others who can help your parent in the event that they are home alone and need something. If you are concerned that your parent will not utilize EMS properly or that they will encounter a situation when they need help but will not be able to reach out for it, consider a medical alert device. This wearable technology can send an alert to local EMS that will let them know that your parent needs help so that they can get assistance promptly.
If you or someone you know needs help with caregiver services in Rockford, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 258-2300 for more information.
Owner at Gauthier Family Home Care
Call (616) 258-2300. Gauthier Family Home Care exists to provide options for our clients to retain their independence in their own homes, improve their quality of life and support their extended families. We will accomplish that by providing compassionate, professional caregivers who will nurture, stimulate, and cater to each client’s specific needs without fail.
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