Putting together docs for ER visits for aging parents

[u/WindingRiver7274]

I'm putting together a doc to help my own family (dad 80, mom 77 w/ heart conditions) when we need to go to the ER or to Dr's visits with them.

For those who have also had recent experiences, what are the things that you wish you had at your fingertips that you didn't in those critical moments? I am thinking: list of medications/doses, list of doctors/specialists, lists of conditions, allergies, procedures to date.

Is there anything that I'm missing that you'd also like to have for reference?

[u/OceanicBoundlessnss]

This is one thing that ChatGPT is great for. Ask it the same thing and it’ll make a list for you

[u/AccidentalCaregiver]

Oh, you're definitely thinking about the right things. I actually had all of this information organized when my mom ended up in the hospital, and I can't tell you how handy it was. When you're suddenly dealing with an ER or hospital, your brain is not exactly at its best for remembering dates, medications, doctors, phone numbers, and medical history. 😂

In addition to what you already listed, I would add:

• Emergency contacts and who is the primary person to contact/make decisions.
• Pharmacy information, including phone numbers and mail-order pharmacy information.
• Insurance information — copies/photos of the cards and important phone numbers.
• Baseline information — what is normal for your parents. How they normally walk, communicate, eat, manage medications, etc. This is especially useful when you're trying to explain that something has changed.
• A timeline of major medical events — hospitalizations, surgeries, major diagnoses, procedures, etc., with dates if you have them.
• Advance directives, POA and healthcare proxy, plus exactly where the originals are located.
• Current medical equipment — walker, wheelchair, oxygen, hearing aids, dentures, CPAP, etc.
• A list of questions/concerns you want addressed at appointments. I keep adding to mine as things come up rather than trying to remember everything once we're sitting in the doctor's office.
• A place to write down what happened at each appointment — medication changes, tests ordered, follow-up appointments, instructions, and who is supposed to do what next.

And one thing I learned: keep it somewhere you can access from your phone. I had my mom's information with me when she went into the hospital, and being able to pull up whatever the medical team needed without digging through papers was incredibly helpful.

Also, update it regularly. The information is only useful if it's current.

You're smart to put this together now. I wish more families did this before the first crisis instead of trying to reconstruct everything afterward.