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Add a care directive to your fridge
Adding a green sleeve to your fridge art in Alberta or a yellow sleeve in Saskatchewan can bring peace of mind to anyone over the age of 18 in the event of a medical emergency.
The sleeves are a plastic pocket containing everything from personal medical information, to your health care directive and a proxy appointment in case you are not able to speak for yourself.
The program caught the attention of members of the Lloydminster Concerned Citizens for Seniors Care Society last Tuesday in a presentation.
Megan Hamilton, an assessor coordinator with Home Care in Saskatchewan and paramedic Jason Loewen with Medavie Health Services in Alberta were invited to speak about the sleeves programs.
“The purpose of the sleeves is to ensure someone has the personal care directive if something was ever to happen to them,” said Hamilton.
“Having it filled out before one gets sick helps ensure they are in a place and their wishes are taken into consideration if something does happen.”
Loewen says information in the sleeves dictates what EMS does and what the hospital does to help someone in a medical emergency.
He recommends storing it on or near the top of your fridge so paramedics will know where to look for it if you are not able to speak for yourself when they arrive at your residence.
Attending first responders will be able to take this information to the hospital should you need to go to emerg.
The information in the sleeve could include a DNR or do not resuscitate order or whether a person wants CPR or to be sent to an intensive care unit or they just want comfort care measures.
“Some people will also include a list of medications that is very valuable to us, too, if they can’t advocate for themselves,” said Loewen.
“It’s very important because we don’t want to do something against someone’s wishes.
Loewen stresses information in a sleeve is just about medical issues and the level of medical care a person wishes to receive.
“It’s something that’s typically done with their doctor and signed by them with a witness, so it’s a legal document we can use to safely advocate for them,” he added.
Hamilton says usually the conversation is prompted when someone has received a diagnosis or has an illness, but the sooner, the better.
“Having it done beforehand is a little more helpful, so you know that is taken care of even if you go in for day surgery,” advised Hamilton.
The sleeve programs have been in place for a while and Hamilton thinks they are becoming more effective as more people hear about the service including the local seniors in attendance.
“The purpose today is just to let everyone know what the sleeves are, to understand the purpose of them and the importance of them, where to store them, and what documents to fill out and what pieces get filled out with the help of a professional,” she explained. Hamilton also let on, Home Care, provided by Saskatchewan Health Authority just got funding for four new positions in the area with a new team called STAT for short-term assessment and treatment.
“There’s me, an LPN, and two health care aids,” she said. “The purpose of the team is to provide complementing services Home Care is already providing to fill in gaps in service.”
GEOFF LEE STAFF WRITER
