Medical Care Alert - Are You Prepared?

We work with some wonderful companies who share a passion for helping others like we do.  One such company is Medical Care Alert.  They have written the following blog for us. 

 

 Article  provided  by  MedicalCareAlert.com 

Who is your first call after a fall?

There are many reasons for falling down, whether it’s clutter in the walkway, a slippery floor in the bathroom, or a bad drug interaction.   Most falls are preventable, but that doesn’t eliminate the need to know what to do when you do fall.    When a fall happens, are you prepared? Here are some things to do when you’ve been injured in a fall.

1.    Assess the  damage

Before you press the button on your medical alert bracelet, give yourself a quick once-­‐over.  Is there anything actively hurting?  Do you see blood? Did you hit yourself on anything? Remember that things can be replaced, but you can’t.

2.  If you’re not hurt, try to get up

Try getting up.   There might be a chair or something which you can balance yourself on, or maybe you’re in the tub and can use the side of the tub or a grab bar to raise yourself.    Getting into a chair will let you better assess the situation.

3.  If you’re not able to get up, wait a few minutes

Medical alert systems are excellent in any emergency.   You might be a little stunned from falling in the first place, so give it a few minutes.  Take deep breaths and try to think calmly in the situation.

4.  If you’re hurt, activate your medical alert bracelet immediately

If you find that you’re significantly hurt, don’t hesitate on pressing the button for the medical alert systems.   That’s what they’re there for, and someone will be able to help you in the situation.  They’ll be able to send help to you.   They have an ‘emergency’ list of information on file for you.

5.  If EMTs are called, wait patiently

Stay where you are and don’t try to move.   The EMTs are trained in emergency situations and they will be able to safely and effectively move you.  It might seem like a little thing to you, but wait until the trained professionals get there to assess the situation.   Once you’ve activated your medical alert bracelet, you’re in good hands.

SafelyFiled's SafelyMD Card

If you are taken to the hospital, the EMTs and all of the personnel are going to need more information than what the people who run the medical alert systems have.   They will need to know more about your advance directives and your medical history.   Instead of keeping a huge file with you that the emergency personnel have to sort through, safelyfiled.com offers an easy way to make that information instantly available when needed via the SafelyMD emergency data card.

When the paramedics come to pick you up and rescue you, you can present the emergency data card to them with a code they can scan.  That code will take them to the medical form that you've filled out in your SafelyMD or SafelyFiled  (multiple cards for family) account where they will be able to get more detailed information than the medical alert systems people will be able to give.  In other words, the addition of SafelyFiled supercharges your medical alert bracelet.