A visit to the emergency room can be stressful for anyone, especially a senior. They may often be alone in the ER or hesitant to speak up about a problem and they may also have multiple doctors and medications, sometimes making treatment difficult.

In order to get the best ER care and a safe visit, here are some tips:

Prepare for a visit – It is vital for a patient to have pertinent medical information on hand, including medications and dosages, as well as a health history including illnesses, injuries, past surgeries and allergies. Make a list and keep it in your wallet. If you have elderly relatives or friends, keep their information at hand and update it frequently.

So many times I’ve cared for patients in an urgent situation (I was an ER nurse) and needed this information only to be told, “My doctor has all that.” While that may indeed be true, it’s not something the ER should stop and look up in some situations and some places don’t have prompt access to that type of information.

Don’t go alone – When possible, bring someone along to the visit. It is vital that the patient be able to understand and express what happened during the visit as well as the plan for follow-up care. This is most effectively done when the patient has someone with them in the ER, no one should go to the ER alone. A family member or friend can help give the medical history if someone is too sick to take notes or ask questions. You can then also be sure that discharge instructions are followed.

Understand the ER process -Emergency rooms are crowded, and you will likely have to wait a long time, particularly for non-urgent visits. Even when the waiting room looks empty, remember that patients come to the ER by ambulance and helicopter and the patient load in the ER may not always be apparent.

However, if there is a problem or question about someone’s physical condition, the triage nurse is the one who sees patients upon arrival, often in the reception area. Be sure to communicate any problems or changes to that nurse, or ask to see the charge nurse.

Communicate – An ER visit is (usually) a temporary encounter and all parties have to be able to understand what transpired and how to proceed with health care afterward during follow-up. The parties that must communicate include the patient, the hospital, and the patient’s regular physician. Any time one party is left out or doesn’t understand, then the patient’s health could be at risk.

During the visit, ask questions and don’t hold anything back, doctors need to know what the patient is experiencing in order to treat them. When applicable, the patient should be able to state in his or her own words what happened, what the treatment was and the plan for follow-up.

Also, be sure to let the patient’s own physician know what happened, especially if he or she is not on the staff of the hospital and collect pertinent results from the ER before discharge if needed.