What is worse than finding yourself in the middle of a medical emergency? Finding yourself in the middle of a medical emergency with no plan or prior preparation! What can you do to prepare yourself for something that seems impossible to prepare for?
The first step and possibly the most important is to make sure you have health care directives in place. A good place to start is having a valid health care power of attorney and a living will. These are advanced directives that can spell out your wishes and desires for your health care agent in medical emergencies.
Next, get your health care agents up to speed. Communicate with them your worries, your fears, and what things would help you through a difficult time.
We would also recommend thinking about treatments you might want in one situation but not in another, an example would be intubation. In normal circumstances you may not want this treatment, however, if you fell ill with covid, intubation may be something that you would consider. Be sure that this information is in your advanced directives and discussed with your health care agent.
In the event that you do have to go to the hospital be prepared by bringing an emergency bag with you. These are items we would recommend bringing with you.
List of emergency contacts with phone numbers.
A health summary that includes medications, allergies, health history, and current medical conditions.
Health care directives or Docubank card.
Communication tools such as your smartphone, laptop, tablet, and extra-long charging cables.
Notebook and writing utensil.
Daily necessities, glasses, contacts, hearing aids, extra batteries, a book, a robe, and extra clothes.
If there is a wait to be admitted it would be advised to also bring your current medications, snacks, and bottled water.
If you have any young children, minors, or pets having a plan in place for the duration of your hospital stay would also be crucial in preparing for a medical emergency.
Medical emergencies can be scary, but with proper preparation, this difficult situation can be much easier.
If you need any assistance planning and preparing we would love to be your partner in planning and help you create your own empowered legacy.