Since my wife now does most of the driving, she has insisted on carrying my ID on her own person. I therefore carry a wallet no longer. I spend the time in dialysis wondering what if: in the even of trouble, EMTs will want ID will they not? What are your thoughts of my wife's action? Frank
I agree with your wife; if you aren't going to carry your ID then it might come in handy that she has it at some point, assuming you are both together. It would be annoying to need the ID and have to make a trip home to get it. Are you concerned that you might need the ID while having dialysis treatment, Frank?
@Frank Sanoica You need ID on your person even if you don't drive. In the event your wife is not around your ID can alert EMT and they can enter info in database that an help them in trying to help you. I even have three phone nbrs under ICE in my mobile. Stands for in case of emergency ..these people can be called. And I have a current list of meds I am on in purse. Not you have to go that far but at least carry ID...may be around your neck vs a wallet. Hope your doing better !
That's a good idea, @Gloria Mitchell . Frank could get himself a lanyard to wear around his neck for his ID.
I used to have a Medic Alert bracelet because of bee sting allergies. They had all my info plus a list of current meds. That might not be a bad idea for me to do now. If I were on my own and incapacitated, EMS couldn't find some piece of paper with emergency data (or list of meds) in my wallet...if they even knew to look for it. And I don't really have any Emergency POCs. I just looked on the Medic Alert website. $25 for a bracelet and $25/year for a basic profile that's available 7x24x365.
Having been a paramedic, we wouldn't go into your wallet even if you were carrying one; although, if we knew nothing about you, we might ask the police to look for identification. The hospital would certainly want that information because your medical history is tied to it. I agree with @John Brunner - a medic alert bracelet would be a good idea, with your name, DOB, and an indication of any medical history we might need to know about. I believe they have digital ones now that will store a great deal of information, but I am not familiar with them. In an unknown situation, we would check for a medic alert bracelet. Some would simply indicate whether someone had diabetes or something, while others would give us more information. I am in a similar situation, by the way - I rarely carry my wallet with me if my wife is going to do the driving.
There is another medical bracelet company I saw that has your data on a bracelet that plugs into a USB port for the user to self-update. I'm not certain if Medic Alert has this product. Medic Alert has a 24 hour-a-day center where your data can be had immediately via a phone call. You go online and self-update your data as it changes (like your meds list.) My legacy Medic Alert bracelet was hard-engraved for bee sting allergy. And I wondered about any responder going into someone's purse or wallet.
I was warned to do 2 things when I was a kid that I still do. 1. Always wear clean underwear in case of an accident and have to go to the hospital. 2. Always carry at least $5 and an I.D. or you’ll get busted for being a vagrant.
In the winter, when I am wearing a jacket, I usually carry my wallet; otherwise, I usually don't unless I'm driving, and sometimes I don't even bring it. If I'm going somewhere here in town, no one will ask for it.
I wear a medic alert bracelet 24/7. It has my initials on the front and my name and "Pacemaker" on the back.