Things to Bring to ER Visits for Your Elder Loved One’s Care

By Kevin Edwards | May 21, 2021 |

When in charge of your elder loved one’s care, one of the things that is important to plan for is emergency visits. There are many elderly people who get injured every year due to falls or other accidents. In addition, there are many health issues that place elderly people in hospital emergency rooms. Due to these facts, there are some top things that you and their elder care aides should bring to ER visits for your elderly loved one.

Medication Allergies and Current Medications

Elder Care Overland Park KS - Things to Bring to ER Visits for Your Elder Loved One's Care — Elder Care Overland Park KS – Things to Bring to ER Visits for Your Elder Loved One’s Care

One of the many things that elderly people have issues with is allergies to medications. If your elderly loved one goes to the emergency room and the doctors don’t know which medications they are allergic to, terrible side effects could occur. Sometimes, these are even life-threatening. Therefore, it is very important for you or the elder care providers who take your loved one to the emergency room to have a list of the medications your loved one is allergic to. You should also have a list of the current medications your loved one is on. This way, the hospital can dispense these medications while your loved one is there.

Advanced Directive or DNR

Does your elderly loved one have an advanced directive or DNR (do not resuscitate order)? If they do, it is very important to make sure the emergency room personnel have these on file for your elderly loved one. While this is something that family caregivers don’t usually want to think about, it is still extremely important to bring along to emergency room visits.

Medical History

Whoever is taking your elderly loved one to the hospital should know their medical history. While every detail does not need to be known, the basics are essential. For example, if your elderly loved one had a heart attack 5 years ago, it is important that you or the elder care provider that is taking your loved one to the hospital shares this information with the doctors. Knowing your elderly loved one’s medical history can ensure the doctors do everything they can for your loved one.

These were the Top ER Things for your Loved One and Elder Care Aides

These are some of the things that you or elder care providers should bring to the ER for your elderly loved one. If you can have all these things around ahead of time, in case of an emergency, that would be even better. You can even talk to your elderly loved one’s doctor to see if there are any other things they recommend bringing to hospital visits for your elderly loved one.

Source: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/going-hospital-tips-dementia-caregivers

If you or an aging loved-one are considering Elder Care Services in the Overland Park KS area, please contact the caring staff at Elder Care of Kansas City, today. Proudly serving Jackson, Clay, Platte and Cass Counties in Missouri as well as Johnson and Wyandotte Counties in Kansas for over 30 years. Call us at 816-333-3322

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Kevin Edwards

Owner at Elder Care of Kansas City

Kevin’s life and the lives of his immediate family have been impacted by caregivers – either as a patient or a caregiver - for as long as he can remember.He watched his mother take care of his grandmother until her death at the age of 97.Five years later, his father passed from a neurological disorder that was subsequently confirmed as Lewy Body Dementia.In 2007, his wife, Lori, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.The symptoms of Lori’s disease required Kevin to hire a caregiver during the periods of her relapses.

Prior to purchasing Elder Care, Kevin spent over 20 years in the health insurance industry.In his most recent position, he was in a financial operations role with Humana where he worked with doctors, nurses and other health professionals developing programs to keep Humana members healthy.Their focus on primary care and medication adherence improved the lives of thousands of seniors in Kansas City and the surrounding area.

Kevin and his wife, Lori, have three children.Kevin has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Missouri.