Seniors For Living

Your mother is having a stroke. Your husband is having a heart attack. Your grandmother fell and fractured her leg. The last thing you want to be doing in any of these crisis situations is fumbling through wallets, desk drawers or closet file boxes for the individual’s personal/medical data. Whether your loved one resides at home or is being transported to the ER from assisted living, the hospital will need immediate access to their information.

If you are caring for a senior loved one, create a face sheet today so you have these essential numbers and facts at the ready.

What’s a face sheet? It is a one-page document of essential medical and personal data, and it’s been used in assisted living, hospitals, doctor’s offices, and other healthcare settings for years.

MyHealthBridge.com suggests the following items be included on every caregiver’s face sheet (learn more here):

• Full Name/Nickname
• Date of Birth
• Social Security Number
• Insurance/Medicare Number
• Supplemental Insurance Number
• Primary Contact’s Name
• Primary Contact’s Relationship
• Primary Contact’s Phone Number
• Primary Physician’s Name
• Primary Physician’s Phone Number
• Current Diagnosis or Concerns
• Previous Diagnoses, Hospitalizations or Surgeries
• Durable Power of Attorney Name & Contact Info
• Medical Power of Attorney Name & Contact Info
• Advance Directives to Physicians
• Other critical information, like if an Out of Hospital Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR) is in place

Don’t wait until a crisis occurs, or a time when every second counts, to gather this information. Even if your senior loved ones are in good health, ask for their help in creating face sheets today and store them in a binder for easy access.