The One-Page Emergency Info Card Every Caregiver Needs

This moment happens to thousands of families every week. And it's entirely preventable.

We created a free, one-page Emergency Info Card that puts every critical detail about your aging parent in one place — printable, portable, and ready when it matters most.

Why You Need This Before the Next Emergency

Here's what emergency room doctors, paramedics, and nurses actually need to know when your parent arrives:

• Current medications — every single one, with doses and what they're for. Not "the little white pill." The actual names, milligrams, and frequencies.
• Allergies and drug reactions — not just food allergies. Drug allergies can be life-threatening if a doctor administers something your parent has reacted to before.
• Medical conditions and diagnoses — heart failure, diabetes, COPD, dementia. The full list, not what you can remember under stress.
• Emergency contacts with relationships — who to call, and whether they have authority to make medical decisions.
• Insurance and Medicare information — so the hospital can process intake without delay.
• Doctors, specialists, and pharmacy — so the ER can pull records and coordinate with their regular providers.
• DNR status, advance directives, and power of attorney — so medical staff can honor your parent's wishes.

That's a lot to carry in your head. And when you're stressed, scared, and far away, you will forget something important.

What's on the Card

Our Emergency Info Card is a single printable page designed to be filled out once and copied everywhere. It includes sections for:

Patient Information — name, date of birth, blood type, address, insurance details, and Medicare number.

Emergency Contacts — three contacts with names, phone numbers, and relationships. Enough for the primary caregiver, a backup family member, and a neighbor or local friend.

Current Medications — space for eight medications with name, dose, frequency, and what each one is prescribed for. (If your parent takes more than eight, you might want to talk to their doctor about a medication review.)

Conditions and Diagnoses — a numbered list for up to eight conditions. Heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression — write them all down.

Doctors and Pharmacy — primary care physician, two specialists, and the pharmacy, each with phone numbers.

Important Notes — checkboxes for common flags that medical staff need to know immediately: DNR/advance directive on file, power of attorney designated, oxygen or CPAP use, fall risk, hearing aids or glasses, and dementia or memory issues. Plus space for anything else that's critical.

How to Use It

Filling it out is the hardest part — and it takes about 15 minutes. Here's how to make it count:

What If You're a Long-Distance Caregiver?

If you're managing your parent's care from another city or state, this card is even more critical. You can't always be there when something goes wrong, but you can make sure the right information is always available.

A few extra steps for long-distance caregivers:

• Share the card with everyone who interacts with your parent — home aides, neighbors who check in, the building manager, other family members.
• Store a digital copy in a shared folder — Google Drive, iCloud, whatever your family uses. Make sure at least two people can access it.
• Put your number as the first emergency contact — even if you're far away. You're the one who knows the full medical picture and can relay information to the ER.
• Update it after every doctor's visit — ask your parent or their local caregiver to tell you about any medication changes so you can keep the card current.

CareHuddle is being built for the 53 million Americans who are family caregivers. If you're one of them, you already know how hard it is. We're trying to make it a little easier.