For more information or to obtain a Vital Link packet, contact Doreen Ocasio at the Office for the Aging at 565-4620 or e-mail at ocasiod@co.clinton.ny.us.
PLATTSBURGH — All North Country residents can benefit by having a full record of their health-care needs and wishes close at hand should an emergency arise.
The Clinton County Office for the Aging and Emergency Medical Service units from across the county have teamed up to help distribute Vital Link packets to residents.
"When we go into any residence, and it doesn't have to be just the elderly, we need to sometimes find a patient's past medical history," said Kent Faus, vice president of the Clinton County Emergency Medical Services Association and also an ambulance driver for CVPH Medical Center.
"If a patient can't respond, we need to find a way to identify all of the medications that patient is using. The Vital Link packet saves us a lot of time and worries."
LIST EVERYTHING
The packet includes a see-through vinyl case with magnet to display on metal surfaces such as a refrigerator and provides emergency personnel easy access to those records.
The Vital Link form, printed on bright-yellow paper, records the patient's name along with the doctor and pharmacy that person uses. It also has space for up to 15 medications, including dosage, frequency and any special notes of concern with the medication.
"It's important to list everything, prescription and over-the-counter drugs," said Doreen Ocasio, services specialist for the Office for the Aging. "Any medicine or pills you use, even eye drops should be included."
Health-care providers need to know how to proceed with emergency care. Without a good sense of what medications a person is on, they cannot determine if a specific treatment will have an adverse reaction because of those drugs.
"A lot of times, we'll have to go in and sort through a big basket or carry out a big Walmart bag filled with prescription drugs," Faus said. "It takes the ambulance out of service while we search through things."
Typically, two emergency-medical technicians will enter the home together, and while one assesses the patient, the other will try to access that medical information. It's always a relief when the Vital Link paperwork is found in plain sight, Faus noted.
SENSE OF SECURITY
For Brother Rene Demers, 79, of Plattsburgh, the combined support he receives from his Vital Link packet and Lifeline alarm system provide a sense of security that allows him to remain active and at home.
"I had my first heart attack in 1993 and have had five attacks so far," said Demers from the Court Street home he shares with two other Roman Catholic brothers. "I also have Parkinson's disease, but I still am active helping out at the Senior Citizens Council."
With his health concerns, Demers has to take numerous prescription drugs. He has typed a thorough list of those medications to include in his Vital Link packet.
"I periodically update it, but it's always a part of the information," he said.
He and his two housemates have been together for upwards of 25 years, and they both have Vital Link packets as well as Lifeline systems, the brother said. They also count on one another for support.
"They watch over me, and I watch over them," he said.
HEALTH-CARE PROXY
The packet also includes a Disability Etiquette form that allows a person to identify his or her disability and to include any special needs related to it.
Residents can also include information on their health-care proxy in case they cannot make decisions and have identified someone to carry out their wishes in receiving health care.
A do-not-resuscitate order, which provides EMTs with the patient's wishes in case the patient is not breathing when help arrives, is also an important document to include.
"Unless that form is signed and valid, we must continue CPR," Faus said. "It is important that people take the time to consider their own wishes."
Through Emergency Medical Services and agencies such as the North Country Center for Independence, the Office for the Aging has already distributed 5,000 vinyl packets received through the NY Connects program. With 5,000 more in hand, the office is in the process of placing all the required info inside the vinyl folders. Many of those will go directly to ambulance units, but others can be obtained through the Office for the Aging.
Packets should be readily available to emergency personnel for every family member who takes medications or has any other kind of medical needs.
E-mail Jeff Meyers at: jmeyers@pressrepublican.com
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