by Amy Rawson
hen it comes to your health, you may think that taking good care of yourself and your family is enough. It's not. You need to go that extra step to ensure that you and your family members get the health care you need in any circumstance.
Although some people feel that preparing for illness is tempting fate, the reverse is actually true. You are protecting yourself and your loved ones from any unforeseen problems that may arise. After the fact, it's too late.
Children should be provided with age-appropriate health information. At a minimum they should be aware of any symptoms that need to be reported to an adult immediately, know how to contact their parents, and the name of their physicians.
You may want to consider a Medic Alert bracelet if there is a significant medical problem. They are inexpensive, universally recognized and comfortable to wear. Mary Jo, an Emergency Medical Technician, recommends putting the medical bracelet on a child's ankle. There, they are less likely to play with (or remove) it, and EMTs are trained to look for them there.
A Health Care Proxy--A HCP allows any adult to appoint another adult (family or friend) who may make medical decisions for them if they become too ill to make their own decisions about medical care. Julie, a hospital Patient Representative, states that although it is convenient to have an appointed proxy agent who lives locally, it is more important that the patient chooses an individual who knows them well and will best represent their wishes, even if that person lives out of the area.
A Living Will--Written documentation of your wishes regarding medical care to insure that your whishes will be known and honored even during a time when you may be too ill to speak the Dr.
It is important to know that rescue squad personnel are NOT legally permitted to honor Health Care Proxies and Living Wills.
Do Not Resuscitate Order--A DNR informs the doctor and other hospital staff that you do not want them to do CPR (or try to revive you) if your heart or your breathing stops. If a patient is fully aware that a DNR order means that in the case of cardiac and or respiratory arrest, NO effort will be made to resuscitate them, and they agree with that decision, it is VERY important that they make their wishes known to their physician so that an order can be written. A physician may write a DNR order for the patient while they are hospitalized and/or may sign a specific document to be kept in the patient's residence that will be honored by rescue squad personnel.
You should contact your hospital's Patient and Family Services department or the Patient Relations Department for a copy of the forms mentioned here. They are available to both the patient and their families.
Taking time now to do a little organizing and advance thinking about health emergencies may seem a little macabre. But it can save critical minutes in emergencies, and bring at least a little calm into what may be a chaotic and frightening time.
Amy Rawson is a freelance writer, and is the attachment parent leader at http://www.herplanet.com. She also runs a home-based business making homemade salves, oils and balms for babies and mamas at http://www.welcome.to/lvmyboysessentials. This article © 1999-2005 Amy Rawson. Used by permission.
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