YOUR MEDICALLY FRAGILE CHILD AND EMERGENCIES…..ARE YOU PREPARED?

You cannot prepare yourself for every scenario at every moment in time (although many of us try). But, there are a few things that might lessen the stress and have the process run a bit more smoothly.

It’s the reality of having a medically fragile child. Sometimes his or her condition becomes unstable and we are left with no choice but to dial 911. Some calls will be very sudden and preparation is impossible. In other situations, there there may be events leading up to the call that allow you a bit of time to prepare.

Tips for being prepared for medical emergencies with your medically fragile child

1. Medical Summary – Have your child’s medical summary readily accessible.

If you don’t have a medical summary, check out our post https://specialneedsgps.com/creating-a-medical-summary-for-your-child-for-doctors-and-hospitals/.

At a minimum, have a list of your child’s medications and allergies in easy-to-find place (I’ve been told by EMS personnel that the fridge is a place they commonly look). If you don’t have a list or it’s outdated, just show them the medication bottles or keep a photo of them on your phone.

2. Pack a Bag – Pack a bag for yourself.

The last thing you want to worry about is packing for yourself when an emergency happens. I usually keep a bag with a few essential toiletries and a pair of clothes in the back of my closet for these situations. You can always add other items to it that you’ll need, but at least you have some basics. Don’t forget a phone charger and a sweater (hospitals can be cold at night!).

Unlike for myself, I find that packing a spare bag for our son in advance is difficult. It’s mostly because many of the items he would need are being used daily (i.e. chewy, i-pad, meds). We end up just using our regular “going out” bag and then add to it when the need arises.

You might consider taking your child’s essential medications to the ER or hospital with you. I do this in case there are delays or the hospital formulary does not carry certain brand name medications. OF COURSE, YOU SHOULD NEVER GIVE YOUR CHILD YOUR HOME SUPPLY OF MEDICATIONS WHILE IN A HOSPITAL WITHOUT CONSULTING WITH THE NURSE. THIS COULD RESULT IN DANGEROUS MEDICATION INTERACTIONS OR DUPLICATION ERRORS.

Another item I like to take is diapers (if you have an older child who wears adult diapers). I have found that sometimes even childrens’ hospital emergency rooms do not have them readily available.

3. Contact your local emergency medical service

A friend in town suggested this to me after doing this for her own special needs child. What a smart idea! I must say this is the 3rd town our son has lived in and I never thought to do this. The local EMS personnel in our town were very receptive to the idea of coming out to our home. They met our son and were able to get an overview of his medical condition. They took this information to keep in their “system” so EMS could have access to it during an emergency.

It was also important for them to learn the layout of our home for a fire or medical emergency. For instance, they determined whether a stretcher could be maneuvered easily if needed. They also shared helpful tips that could save precious minutes during an emergency such as making our house number more visible from the street with reflective numbers.

Honestly speaking, I have no idea whether other EMS departments would be willing to do this but it might be worth inquiring about.

4. Keep a copy of your child’s insurance cards

In our family, I carry our son’s insurance cards because I am usually the one taking him to appointments. What if an emergency happens when my husband or caregiver is home with him? You can always provide your insurance cards later but why not just be able to hand EMS and the emergency room a copy in the absence of the actual cards? You can staple a copy to your child’s medical summary or just take a photo on your phone. Be sure to include the front and back because you will need both. I also use an app called CamScanner on my phone to scan important documents such as insurance cards or important test results.

5. Plan for your other children or pets

Do you have someone in mind that might stay with your other children for a bit or check on pets if you are in the emergency room for many hours? If your spouse travels for work or you are a single parent it might be especially important to consider this.

Again, we cannot plan for every scenario, but we can certainly try!!