1. It is a vital key to emergency medical care tailored to your needs, regardless of age or medical emergency. The medical information form included in each packet gives EMS or your attending physician enough of your personal medical history to treat you with confidence without any delay.
2. Fill out one for each member in your household. When an emergency arises, it can be difficult to remember details whether you are young or old.
3. Keep it in your refrigerator attached to the right hand wall between the first and second shelves. (There is a strip of Velcro included in each VITAL HEALTH RECORDS packet for this purpose.) Your local EMS has been instructed to look for it there.
4. No. Local sponsors provide this program to your community at no charge.
5. Yes. There are several other important uses for your VITAL HEALTH RECORDS:
6. It is important that you use the medical information form for your
area as it is customized to list your local hospitals. The Vital Health Records program for
your area is in Community Programs. Find your community's
sponsor and click on their website. A medical information form should be available for you to
open and print. We recommend that you print the form on legal-size paper in order to take
advantage of its larger font for easier reading. If this is a problem, contact one of the
sponsors in your community.
7. Medications for some people change frequently. You may want to
include a separate card in the VITAL HEALTH RECORDS packet that lists all your medicines and
the last time the list was updated. In any case, it is very important to keep all of your
medications in the same place you have listed on your medical information form so EMS can find
them-even if you have not made up a separate list.
8. Every time there is a change. Filling out the form in pencil will
make that easier to do. If you do need another form, the Vital Health Records program for
your area is in Community Programs. Find your community's
sponsor and click on their website. A medical information form should be available for you to
open and print. At a minimum, you should check your VITAL HEALTH RECORDS at least twice a year to
make sure you have not missed any changes. A good time to do this is in the spring and fall
when you reset your clocks and check your smoke detector batteries.
9. Contact us and you will be provided
with a kit full of information detailing all of the major steps to successfully start up a
program in your community.
10. Find a sponsor of the program in
your community or your local EMS department.
11. Write any additional information on a blank piece of paper and include
it in the VITAL HEALTH RECORDS packet. Make a note on your medical information form that
additional health information is enclosed so EMS will be aware of it, or attach the extra sheet
to the medical information form so EMS will not have to search for it.
12. You could highlight the information so it will stand out on the form.
13. This program was initiated by a health care professional who has over
30 years experience working with older adults in their homes. She found that when hearing,
vision, speech, or memory are impaired, getting a detailed medical background during an initial
assessment is very difficult. Add the stress of an emergency situation and it becomes almost
impossible. The information included on this form was discussed and reviewed extensively with
EMS representatives, a variety of community health care providers, and an emergency room
physician. After numerous revisions, it was determine that this form included what was
essential in any medical emergency.
14. You can get a copy by going to the
Community Programs page. Find your community's
sponsor and click on their website. A medical information form should be available for you to
open and print. You could also
photocopy your blank medical information form for their use. (NOTE: To be
safe, check with your parent(s) local EMS for names of hospitals to which they provide transport.)
Since EMS in their area will not be aware of the VITAL HEALTH RECORDS program, your parents
must be sure to present the form to EMS when they arrive or tell them to look in the
refrigerator.
15. You might ask a friend or neighbor to assist, contact the non-emergency
number of your EMS to see if they have volunteers available to assist, check with your faith
community, or contact one of the sponsors of the program.
16. It gives EMS an idea of a person's ability to move and communicate
before the emergency. Therefore, they can more quickly evaluate whether the current symptoms
are new or part of a pre-existing condition. Also, it allows EMS to determine the best way to
communicate with the patient-directly or through a caregiver. Please click on one of the
following links for more in-depth information on
communicating with a hearing, vision
or memory impaired person.
17. This nationwide program was started by the Alzheimer's Association
in 1993 to help insure the safe return of a loved one who might wander off as a result of their
dementia. They will provide an identification necklace or bracelet for a small fee. Go to
their website for full details.