The emergency readiness checklist for an aging parent

Every intake form starts here, and it is the part families most often improvise from memory.

• Legal name exactly as it appears on insurance, plus date of birthNicknames slow down record lookups. Use the name on the insurance card.
• Home address and the parent's own phone numberParamedics need the address; discharge staff need a number that reaches the parent.
• Two emergency contacts with relationship and mobile numberTwo, not one — the first person is sometimes the one in the waiting room already.
• Who is authorized to make decisions if your parent cannot speakName the health care agent, even if the paperwork lives somewhere else.

This is the section that changes clinical decisions in the first ten minutes of care.

• Every drug allergy and the reaction it causes"Penicillin — hives" is useful. "Allergic to antibiotics" is not.
• If there are no known allergies, write that down explicitlyA blank line reads as missing information; a confirmed "none known" reads as answered.
• Current medications with dose and scheduleInclude the strength and how often — "metoprolol 25 mg, twice daily."
• Over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, inhalers, eye drops, and injectionsThese interact too, and they are the ones families forget to mention.
• Prescriber for each medication, or at least the primary physicianSaves the hospital a round of phone calls when a refill is needed.

Context turns a symptom into a diagnosis faster.

• Active diagnoses — cardiac, diabetes, COPD, kidney, cognitiveList what is being treated now, not the full life history.
• Surgeries, implanted devices, and pacemakersDevices matter before imaging. Note the year if you know it.
• Recent hospitalizations or ER visits in the past yearRepeat visits change how seriously a new symptom is treated.
• Baseline notes — hearing, vision, mobility, memory, languageStaff cannot tell what is new confusion versus normal without a baseline.

Missing coverage details delay admission, transport, and discharge medications.

• Carrier, plan name, member ID, and group numberPhotograph both sides of the card and keep the numbers typed out too.
• Medicare or Medicaid numbers, plus any supplemental planSupplemental plans are the ones nobody remembers under pressure.
• Preferred pharmacy with phone number and cross streetTwo locations of the same chain is a common discharge-day mix-up.

Hospitals need to know a directive exists and who holds it — not the document itself.

• Advance directive or living will — where it is kept and who has a copy"Fireproof box in the hall closet; sister has a scan" is enough.
• Health care power of attorney and the agent's phone numberInclude an alternate agent if one is named.
• DNR or POLST form, if one existsIn many states this must be the physical form to be honored.
• Financial power of attorney, will, and trust locationsNot needed in the ER, but the same panic applies later. Record it once.

An unplanned overnight admission turns into a second emergency at the house.

• How to get into the home — key location, lockbox, alarm code holderRecord who holds the code, not the code itself, in anything you print.
• Pet care instructions and the vet's numberInclude feeding schedule and medications for the animal.
• Neighbor or caregiver who can check the houseOne local name beats three out-of-state siblings at 2 a.m.
• Transport plan — who drives, or the ride service usedDischarge often happens with a few hours' notice.

A perfect sheet nobody can find is not readiness.

• One printed copy on the refrigeratorFirst place paramedics are trained to look in many areas.
• One copy in the go-bag or gloveboxThe copy that actually travels to the hospital.
• A PDF on every involved family member's phoneSo whoever arrives first has the answers.
• A date on the sheet, and a habit for reprinting itReprint after any medication change, hospital stay, or new diagnosis.