This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice. Always consult with qualified professionals regarding your specific situation.

The Emergency Information Sheet — What to Post on the Refrigerator

In an emergency, you don't have time to search for information. An ambulance is on the way. A hospital is asking for medical history. Someone's confused and can't answer questions. The refrigerator sheet is the thing that gets found when it matters. It's where emergency responders look first. It's where hospital staff look when your parent is admitted. It's the document that makes the critical information instantly available.

This isn't about pessimism. It's about being prepared. Most people will never have a life-threatening emergency. But if they do, having this information ready can affect the quality of their care. It can prevent medication interactions or harmful allergies being missed. It can ensure their wishes are respected. It's one of the easiest insurance policies you can create.

The sheet should be simple, clear, legible, and comprehensive. It should go on the refrigerator where emergency responders will see it. You should also keep copies with your parent, in a purse or wallet, maybe in their nightstand drawer. Multiple copies in logical places mean information is always accessible.

The Core Information

Start with identifying information at the top. Full legal name, date of birth, and current address. If your parent has gone by different names in different systems, include those too. The goal is that there's no confusion about who this person is.

List emergency contacts in order. The first contact should be someone likely to be reachable. That might be a family member, might be a close friend. Include phone number, email, and relationship. Then list a second contact. Then a third. Include someone who's not in the same location (so if there's a local disaster, someone outside the area can help). Include the local contact—maybe it's you and you live nearby—and a long-distance contact. Having multiple people listed helps if someone's unreachable.

Medical Information That Matters Immediately

Allergies are critical. List every medication allergy and also every environmental allergy that affects medical care. If someone's allergic to penicillin, that's essential. If they're allergic to shellfish, it might be relevant if they can't eat the hospital food. If they're allergic to tape and can't have standard bandages, that matters. Don't minimize allergies,list them all.

Current medications should be listed with names, doses, and frequency. This seems basic, but hospitals get this wrong. Someone stops a medication or switches it and the wrong medication interactions happen. Include over-the-counter medications and supplements. Include inhalers, eye drops, anything that's being taken regularly. Write the name the way it appears on the bottle and the dose. "Metoprolol 50 mg twice daily" is clearer than "the blood pressure medicine."

Medical conditions matter. Diabetes, heart disease, COPD, arthritis,the active diagnoses. These give responders and medical teams immediate understanding of the person's baseline medical situation.

Name and phone number of the primary care physician. Include their specialty if it's not obvious. "Dr. Jane Smith, primary care, 555-1234." If there are specialists,cardiologist, nephrologist, oncologist,include them too if they're actively treating your parent. In an emergency, the hospital often wants to contact the primary doctor.

Hospital preference is worth noting if your parent has one. If they've had good experience at one hospital and not at another, write it down. If they're enrolled in a specific health system, note that. Emergency responders and hospitals use this to route care when possible.

Healthcare Proxy and Medical Decision-Making

This is important. If your parent becomes unable to make medical decisions, who decides? This should be filled in clearly. Write the name and phone number of the healthcare proxy or agent. This is the person named in their healthcare power of attorney or advanced directive. If it's you, write your name and number. Include the name of an alternate if one exists.

If there isn't a formal healthcare proxy but there's someone who should be making decisions, list them. In an emergency, confusion about who can make decisions delays care.

Resuscitation and End-of-Life Preferences

This is uncomfortable but important. If someone's heart stops, should CPR be attempted? Some people want everything done to try to resuscitate. Some people don't want chest compressions and mechanical ventilation if their quality of life will be severely affected. This is called a Do Not Resuscitate order, or DNR. These preferences differ by person and it varies by situation.

The sheet should note whether your parent has an advance directive or living will and what the resuscitation preference is. If they're a "full code" meaning they want everything done to resuscitate, write that. If they're DNR, write that. If they're DNI (Do Not Intubate,meaning don't put them on a breathing machine) write that. If they want to be resuscitated only if they have a good chance of returning to their baseline, write that. Be specific.

If they have a signed advance directive, mention that it exists and where it is. Some people carry a card saying they have an advance directive. If your parent has one, they should carry it or wear a medical alert bracelet saying one exists.

Mental Health and Behavioral Information

If your parent has a history of anxiety, depression, dementia, or other mental health condition that might be relevant in an emergency, include it. If they become confused or agitated in medical situations, noting that helps staff understand the behavior and respond appropriately rather than assuming the worst.

If they have hearing loss or vision loss, note that. If they don't speak English, note what languages they speak. If they're hard of hearing and need written communication, write that. Medical teams need to know how to communicate.

Medical History

Recent surgeries, recent hospitalizations, or significant medical events go here. If someone had a heart attack two years ago, that's relevant. If they had a recent fall and haven't fully healed, that matters. If they had recent surgery, include the type and date.

Prior medication reactions or adverse effects matter. If they had a bad reaction to something in the past, write it. This helps prevent repeating the mistake.

Making It Accessible

Use large, clear handwriting or print it. Italic script might look nice but it's hard to read in an emergency. Black ink on white paper is clearest. Laminate it so it lasts. Put it on the refrigerator in a plastic sleeve or use magnetic backing. Place it where someone entering the house will immediately see it.

Keep updated copies in other locations. One in your parent's wallet or purse. One with their medications or medical supplies. One with you if you're the primary caregiver. One in a car if they drive. One with the healthcare proxy.

Update the sheet when things change. If medications change, update it. If emergency contacts change, update it. If someone new becomes the healthcare proxy, update it. A sheet that's outdated isn't as useful as one that's current.

Additional Documents to Have in Place

This sheet is not a substitute for having formal advance directive and healthcare power of attorney documents. It's the quick reference. But the actual legal documents should exist too. These are the formal papers that spell out healthcare wishes in legal detail and name the healthcare proxy officially. They should be signed, witnessed or notarized according to state law, and stored safely.

A HIPAA release form (also called a Patient Authorization) gives specific people permission to talk to doctors about your parent's care. Without this, doctors can't discuss medical information even with family. Having this signed and available to doctors matters.

These documents live in safer storage,maybe with an attorney, maybe with the healthcare proxy, maybe in a safe deposit box. But the emergency sheet lives on the refrigerator where it's found when it matters.

The Conversation Piece

Having this sheet also prompts conversations. When you create it with your parent, you're discussing what matters to them medically. You're clarifying who should make decisions. You're having the conversation about what kind of care they want in different scenarios. That conversation is valuable separate from the piece of paper.

Creating this sheet takes an afternoon. Updating it takes fifteen minutes when something changes. The return on investment is enormous. It's the single easiest thing you can do to make sure your parent gets care that matches their needs and wishes in an emergency.

How To Help Your Elders is an informational resource for families working through aging and elder care. We are not medical professionals, attorneys, or financial advisors. The information provided here is for educational purposes and should not replace professional consultation. Every family's situation is unique, and rules, costs, and availability vary by location and circumstance.