Medic Alert info?

[Shari]

Our case manager has funding to get Wee an ID tag. While I'm not sure how long it wiill last, it is a good idea. He barely knows his phone number, and when frustrated or anxious, he doesn't. Sea world with him was a bit on the dicey side in that regard...we kept grilling him about our phone number and our town (he doesn't know the area code).

So...what info do you put on a tag like this? Auditory processing disorder and developmental delay aren't going to tell medical personell much in an emergency...

 

[KTMom91]

Maybe just the seizure disorder and that he's on medications, and call Mom ASAP?

 

[Marguerite]

Years ago (as in 30 years) we bought a medic alert medallion for me. It's called SOS medallion and it's a flat circular capsule, waterproof and tough, which can unscrew to reveal a strip of paper on which we have put all my allergies, contact details etc. We actually have the text file on the computer in very tiny font, we print out a new one when the info changes. It has - contact details; diagnosis; allergy list; doctor and specialist contact info; medical/surgical history; hospital file numbers and other important medication numbers. Blood group.

Another option for a young child - we had a brightly coloured elastic band fastened with velcro, which had a laundry label stitched to it. You could make one easily. On the laundry label, we wrote difficult child 3's name, diagnosis and out mobile phone numbers. Then we made him wear this on his wrist every time we were away from home or on holidays. We also put a school book label on his shirt (on his back as well as his front) with his diagnosis and our phone number. If he peeled it off his chest, there was still the one on his back as well as his wrist.

It all helped.

If you want the contact details for the SOS, let me know.

Marg

 

[DammitJanet]

Interesting about Sea World. When we were at the White House last year they offered all children and parents the option of putting hospital tags with names and cellphone numbers on them.

I bet you could order a gazillion of those type things and print them on the computer and attach to his book bag, his wrist if going somewhere, maybe his file folder,etc.

 

[Shari]

Oh, Janet, you give me an idea!

Those rubber WWJD bracelets...I think you can custom order them. Cause one of my big concerns is how we won't lose this thing...whatever it is.

 

[JJJ]

When the kids were younger, I use to write our phone number on everything - but not visible to a casual observer (inside of collars, shoes, waist bands, etc). I even wrote it in marker on Tigger's back once when we went to a museum and he kept pulling off the nametag he had been given.

 

[Marguerite]

Two ways of handling this problem - one is to have a system that he won't lose. The medication-alert bracelet or medallion on a chain is one way. The other way is to use something disposable, so it doesn't matter. We kept the sheet of school book labels in the car, along with a marking pen. Every time we got out, we stuck a label or two on difficult child 3. The brightly coloured velcro and elastic thing on his wrist, we took off his wrist when he got back to the car and fastened it to the head rest of the front seat. Then when we got out of the car at the shops or anywhere else, we would fasten it on him. The velcro strap was designed so he couldn't take it off himself easily.

Someone suggested hospital name tags - a possible problem with this, is if he has had any unpleasant association with hospitals. husband asked me to share an incident with you all - his train club sells rides to children and adults, but there are often birthday parties there and the birthday kid rides free. They generally use a stamp on the child's hand but these tend to rub off by the end of the day. So someone suggested using hospital name tags. But one birthday boy turned out to have just come out of hospital after prolonged chemo for leukemia, and having to have a hospital tag was upsetting him, so they used the stamp instead and from there, stopped trying to use hospital tags. We're back to using stamps.

Marg

 

[DammitJanet]

Here they use those almost impossible to remove waterproof, stick to themselves bracelets for a ton of things...fairs, events to prove you have a ticket, etc so people dont have to keep showing a stub but are easily noticeable to security. Our fair here does a all you can ride ticket and a just walk around ticket. The kids and teens get the all you can rides...obviously I dont! The all you can rides tend to get a stickem on bracelet a different color for each of the days. When we went to the last pageant they had silver ones with the pageant name on them to show who was a paid attendee and who was the parent of a contestant.

 

[susiestar]

Be very careful that whatever you choose does not have his name visible to strangers unless they are trying to help him. Often predators will see a child's name on a shirt or bookbag. When they approach the child they call him by name and the child believes that it is someone who knows his parents and is okay. Children do not remember that they have their name on their shirt or wherever and they think that the predator is okay because strangers don't know your name.

If at all possible, use a method where the name cannot be seen from a distance, like a bracelet or a sticker that doesn't have very big writing.

The method of keeping the bracelet or necklace in the car seems like an excellent way to make sure you always have it with you. Otherwise maybe it could be kept in a special pocket of a purse if you carry one.