What to put on an emergency information sheet for the fridge

Why the fridge?

Every kitchen has one, it is near the front door in most homes, and it is not hidden in a drawer. That is why several long-running community programs use it. The File of Life, offered by many US fire departments, is a card in a red plastic sleeve with a magnetic strip, "placed on the outside of the refrigerator in a visible place". The Vial of Life keeps a personal information sheet in a pill-bottle style vial inside the fridge, with a magnet on the door that tells firefighters and paramedics to look for it. In the UK, schemes such as Bottle in the Fridge do the same with a green and white bottle in the fridge door and two stickers: one inside the front door and one on the fridge.

The idea behind all of them is simple. In an emergency your parent may be confused, in pain or unable to speak, and you may be hours away. A sheet that answers the first questions saves time and guesswork. The UK scheme notes it is especially useful for people who cannot tell responders about their health themselves, including people with memory problems or those who speak another language.

What to include

Here is what these programs ask for, combined into one checklist. Keep each line short: the sheet is read standing up, in a hurry.

Field	What to write
Full name	As in official documents, plus the name your parent answers to
Date of birth	Day, month and year, written out so it cannot be misread
Address	Full address, floor and entry code if relevant
Allergies	Medicines, foods, latex. Write "No known allergies" rather than leaving it blank
Current medicines	Name, dose and how often. Include blood thinners and insulin first
Important to know	Past heart attack or stroke, pacemaker, diabetes, hearing aid, memory problems
Blood type	Only if you know it for sure
Doctor	Name and phone number of the GP or main specialist
Insurance	Insurer and policy number, or where the card is kept
Who to call	Two or three people, with relationship and a mobile number

File of Life also includes recent surgeries, a health care proxy and religious affiliation. The Russian finance and lifestyle magazine T-Zh, in its guide to being taken ill while alone at home, adds one detail worth copying: list past strokes and heart attacks explicitly, because they change what responders do first.

What to leave out

The sheet hangs where visitors, cleaners and delivery people can see it. Leave off bank details, passwords, ID numbers you do not need and anything your parent would not want strangers to read. A long medical history is also a bad idea: paramedics need the essentials, and the full records belong with the doctor.

Make it readable in ten seconds

• One page. If it runs over, cut words, not font size.
• Large, plain type. Guidance based on RNIB defines large print as 16 pt or bigger; 18 pt or more is comfortable for most older readers. Use a plain sans serif font with dark text on a white background.
• A clear header. A red band with "Medical information" or "For the ambulance" tells responders what they are looking at.
• Labels on the left, answers on the right. Nobody should have to read a paragraph to find the allergies.
• Date it. Put "Updated: month, year" at the bottom so everyone knows how fresh it is.
• Laminate it or put it in a plastic sleeve. Kitchens are wet places.

Where to put it, and how responders find it

On the outside of the fridge door at eye level is the simplest option. If your parent prefers privacy, use the Vial of Life approach: the sheet inside the fridge and a sticker or magnet outside that says where it is. The UK scheme also puts a sticker inside the front door, the first thing responders see. Whatever you choose, tell the people who might call an ambulance, such as a neighbour or carer, where the sheet is.

Make a copy for yourself and other relatives, too. The T-Zh guide suggests three copies: one at home in a visible place, one with your parent's ID documents and one with a trusted person.

Add the phone's own emergency card

If your parent has an iPhone, set up Medical ID in the Health app. With "Show When Locked" turned on, first responders can see allergies, conditions and emergency contacts from the Lock screen without the passcode, and "Share During Emergency Call" sends it to emergency services when your parent calls them. It complements the paper sheet: the phone may be in a bag or out of battery, while the sheet stays on the fridge.

Keep it current

An out-of-date sheet can be worse than none: a stopped medicine or a disconnected number sends people the wrong way. Update it whenever:

• a medicine is started, stopped or the dose changes;
• your parent is discharged from hospital;
• a contact person changes phone number or moves away;
• the doctor or insurance changes.

Even if nothing obvious changed, look at it every few months. A good habit is to check it whenever you review the medicine list with the doctor.

This article is general information and does not replace advice from your parent's doctor or local emergency services. Follow any local scheme your ambulance or fire service runs.

A faster way to make and update the sheet

Lamina has a ready-made fridge sheet with exactly these fields: name, date of birth, blood type, address, allergies, medicines, important notes, doctor and phone, insurance and two or three people to call, taken from the phone book you already made. It prints on A4 or Letter in large, very large or low vision text, under a red header, in the language your parent reads. Lamina also reminds you every 3, 6 or 12 months to check the sheets. The fridge sheet is part of Lamina Pro, a one-time $2.99 purchase.