In Case of Emergency

This message will be a community service message from the nurse side of me. This is truly a public service announcement in every way.

I find more and more of my elderly patients have cell phones on them when I stop to visit them. I am always pleased to see this, because the cell phone has become such an important emergency tool for a senior living alone or traveling about their day by themselves. I bought one for my mom. It is a convenience for her to be able to call me if her car breaks down, or when the Atlantic City bus arrives at her destination and she needs to be picked up at the bus stop.

Many are not aware of an emergency initative by Paramedics across the nation that actually has its origin in England. It is called "ICE" and it stands for 'in case of emergency'. The idea is a fantastic one and home care nurses across America encourage their patients to add this entry into their cell phones. This is not just for the elderly, but for everyone with a cell phone. I am encouraging everyone to do this and pass the word. It is simple to do, all you have to do is enter the entry ICE or I.C.E. into your cell phone address book and enter the phone number of the person you would want to be called "IN CASE OF EMERGENCY" and save this entry. You can also add a second or a third...ICE1, ICE2, ICE3. In an emergency where you are not able to respond, the rescue squad or hospital staff will be able to contact the person you have designated. You may think that the entry MOM works, but not everyone wants their mom called, or possibly your mom lives in another state. This is an entry that emergency response personnel have been educated to look for. It is so simple to do and this information should be forwarded to everyone you know.

I hope everyone takes a minute to enter ICE into their cell phone. I have to also mention that there have been some Internet scares out there claiming that this entry will cause a virus to get into your cell phone and everyone connected to your ice number will get a virus....this is a hoax, it is just not true, you can check it out on 'snopes'.

Wishing everyone and your loved ones a safe holiday.
Thank you for reading this blog, please pass it on, to really appreciate the message.

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