One of the first safety measures seniors can easily do without making any life changes at all is a stunningly simple safety device: A "Vial of Life" or "Bag of Life." 

Place your medical information - name and contact information for the doctor, and both a list of current medications and medical conditions in a clear bag. Mark it with a red cross and tape it to the outside of the refrigerator. In a medical emergency no one will have to search for important medical information.

Lifesaving Information On Every 'Fridge

If you've poked around this website, you know that we strongly recommend ...advocate... push for...insist (by any name you want to call it) that you have medical information foryourself and the people you care about handy.

But what if emergency personnel need to help your loved one right now and you aren't there? They don't have time to look through purses and wallets for I.D. and emergency contact information, and in some communities they aren't permitted to. They don't know what medical problems your loved one might have. By the time someone in an emergency room gets around to calling you, assuming they know you exist, critical time can be lost.

If one of your parents is caregiver for the other, would your less able parent be able to give critical information to emergency personnel if the caregiving parent were taken ill?

One solution is a "Bag of Life" on the refrigerator in every home where medical history and medication information would be critical to emergency care. Combine it with a small alert sign on the front door.

Make One For Each Member of the Family

On the next page is a kit you can use to make as many sets as you and your family might need.

Like any insurance, you hope you never need it. Unlike most insurance, it costs you absolutely nothing but a few minutes of your time, a bag, and some tape to make potentially lifesaving information immediately available to emergency personnel who might urgently need it to help you or someone you love.

Make this one of your achievable resolutions today - grab a "Bag of Life" kit. Get one up on the refrigerator in every home where emergency personnel might one day need vital information.

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