Emergency Care
You must make sure that your needs will be met even if you are unconscious, unable to breathe or talk. This page gives you the tools that enable you, your worker, paramedics and other health professionals to meet your needs in an emergency.
Topics covered on this page are:
Emergency Care and First Aid
People with disabilities and chronic illnesses often find themselves in emergency situations. There are two kinds of emergencies. (1) Life threatening emergencies need immediate medical attention. (2) Other emergencies need the attention of a medical professional but are not immediately life threatening.
Know your disability. Does it cause certain emergency situations to happen more often than others? If the answer is yes, be sure to include information about your specific emergencies on your Emergency Medical lnformation form. You also should review this information with your personal assistants (PAs).
Preparing and training your workers to handle emergencies
Your PAs may or may not have training in emergency First Aid or CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). If they do not, you must provide them with some general information that will help them to assist you in an emergency. You may want your workers to get training in First Aid or CPR. Training can be found by contacting your local American Cross or other agencies.
Train your workers to stay calm, to use their common sense, and provide them with some simple guidelines so they can help you.
- Post 911, the emergency call number, prominently on or near your phone. Better yet, put it on speed dial on your phone.
- Keep written instructions on how to get to your home near the phone. The instructions should include the street address, the nearest cross street, and any other identifying information that will help the 911 dispatcher in directing emergency assistance to you.
- Read your telephone book! The front section of your telephone book contains a First Aid and Survival Guide in the Customer Guide Section. It usually covers the following topics: Bleeding, Breathing, Broken Bones, Burns, some disaster survival such as earthquakes, Electric Shock, Heart Attack, Poisoning, Seizure, and how to use the telephone in emergencies.
- Review this material with your worker and keep it where it can be easily found.
Calling 911
Call 911 only for emergencies. (When you need help or advice but the situation isn't life threatening, call the non-emergency numbers for the fire or police department.) When calling 911, tell the operator:
- Your name
- The name of the person needing assistance
- The street address and cross street
- Phone number
- The disability or pre-existing medical conditions
Life-threatening emergencies
In a life-threatening emergency you or your workers should:
- Call 911
- Care for the person in distress
When to call the paramedics or ambulance service
The following is a list of situations when it would be appropriate to call 911. This list is not exhaustive. There may be other situations when 911 should be called.
Call 911 for emergency assistance if any of the following conditions exist.
If a person:
- becomes unconscious
- has chest pain or pressure
- has trouble breathing
- has no pulse and no breathing
- is bleeding severely
- is vomiting blood or bleeding from the rectum
- has fallen and may have broken bones
- has had a seizure
- has a severe headache and slurred speech
- has pressure or severe pain in the abdomen that does not go away
Call 911 if
- moving the person could cause further injury.
- traffic or distance would cause a life-threatening delay in getting to the hospital.
- the person is too heavy to lift or help.
"When to call the paramedics" is from The
Comfort of Home. by Maria M. Meyer, with Paula Derr, RN. Care
Trust Publications LLC Portland, 1998. © 1998 Maria M. Myer. Reprinted
with Permission. Illegal to reproduce without license from the publisher.
Non-life-threatening Emergencies
There are some emergency situations that are not life threatening but need immediate attention. In these situations notify the doctor or go to an urgent care clinic or hospital emergency room.
If a person:
- has a temperature greater than 102 ° F
- has diarrhea that lasts longer than 24 hours
- has swelling, pain, and redness in the legs
- has fainted, and is difficult to arouse
If you or your worker is not sure that a situation is an emergency, call one of the following to get clarification:
- the doctor or the nurse at the doctor's office
- the emergency room
- the home health care nurse
"Non-life threatening emergencies" is adapted from Personal
Care Attendant Training Handbook: A Guide to Personal Care for Persons
with Physical Disabilities.
Owen, D., Gaetke, D.H., Garvin, P. (1996). Homecare Workers Union Attendant
Skills Training Program.
Preparing for an emergency
Being prepared for an emergency now can make a big difference later. Make the following lists and kits.
- A First Aid kit
- First aid manual
- Sterile bandages, tape, antibiotic cream, antiseptic wipes and solution
- Extra prescription medications, aspirin or other painkillers
- Thermometer, latex gloves, sharp scissors, tweezers
- The consumer's disability may require other, more specialized supplies
- Emergency Contacts form
- Emergency Medical Information list
- Printed directions to the home
These tools help you collect your emergency information into handouts that you can then print out. Give a copy of this handout to your PA, and keep another copy posted next to your telephone. Keep the original copies in a file.
 An Emergency Contacts form. Print out this form and fill it out. It lists personal contacts and their phone numbers. You can also list agencies and phone numbers you may need, such as medical clinics, social service agencies, or pharmacies.
An Emergency Medical Information list. Print out this form and fill it out. You can list personal information, insurance information, the names and phone numbers of doctors, important information about the your disability and any special information a doctor may need in an emergency.
Leaving the house in an emergency
If you and your PA leave the house in an emergency, be sure to take the Emergency Contacts form and Emergency Medical Information form with you. Prepare for an emergency by keeping them in together in a plastic bag so your PA can grab them quickly.
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Going to the Emergency Room
Being prepared for emergencies may save your life. Being prepared also may prevent an incident that could effect your disability in a negative way.
Prepare in advance for potential trips to the emergency room. The page on Managing Your Health Care provides information on how to keep records of your health status. It also tells you what you need to take with you to a regular visit with your doctor. If you prepare that material, it will help you to prepare for potential emergency room visits.
What to take with you to the emergency room
Be sure to keep your emergency information sheets together in one place that is easy to find. Be sure to let your personal assistants (PAs) know where you keep this information.
Take the following:
- Insurance policy numbers or cards
- Description of your disability
- List of medical problems and how they affect your disability
- List of medications, supplements, vitamins and over the counter medications you take and their dosages
- The names and phone numbers of your personal physician and specialists
- The names and phone numbers of relatives or friends to be notified
The Emergency Medical Information tool will help you to collect all of your emergency medical information into one place. After you enter your information, you will get a handout that you can print out. You should bring this information sheet to the emergency room with you.
Before leaving the emergency room
Before you leave the emergency room be sure that you understand any instructions that are given for your care or follow-up that might be needed. Ask that the instructions be written for you.
After the emergency room visit
Call your primary care physician to tell him or her what occurred. Tell him what treatment you received and what follow-up care might be needed.
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