My mom's pretty sick right now; I'm spending a lot of time with doctors and at hospitals. One thing that helps is that for a few years now my brother and I have been maintaining lists of all her medications (including any bad reactions she's had in the past), all her doctors, and her medical history. When you're sitting in the emergency room at 9:00 pm, you don't want to be trying to remember when your mom had her heart surgery, or what medication made her sick the last time she took it.
So I was glad to see this list of Aging Parents: 10 Things to Know For An Emergency, from the Mayo Clinic. [via Dumb Little Man]
And I've also noticed the hospital is amazed when I walk in with copies of my mom's advance health care directive and medical power of attorney. Apparently very few people have done these - or think to bring them in, if they have. Please, everyone, make sure you and those you care about have the legal forms in place to deal with a medical emergency.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Jeri,
So sorry to hear that your mother is ill; I wish her a speedy recovery.
It just so happens that I recently posted a comment on another blog about how important it is to have the necessary legal documents prepared. It's one of those things people say they'll get around to "someday," but heaven forbid you should need them and not have them in an emergency. -- Very useful link to the list.
Best wishes,
Cynthia
Cynthia,
Thanks for the good wishes; things are rough right now.
Jeri
Post a Comment