Section 5: Safety Systems
Before we get ready to go off to college, most of us become more independent and spend less time at home. Parents of all teens worry about our safety when we are away from them. Add food allergies to that, and you might end up with a neurotic mother (but for good reason, don't get me wrong!). Mine started to panic after a visit to an emergency room for an anaphylactic reaction. The ER nurse gave her a lecture about how crazy she was to let me go away to college - let alone far away. I should do online college and stay home - she told my mother. As you can imagine, I wanted to go to college, and what she was suggesting sounded like jail! Here are some things that can help keep you safe and will help give you parents a piece of mind.
Automatic 911 Systems
One of the factors that had worried my mother since my housing accommodation was granted was that my college said I had to live alone, because having a roommate posed too great a risk of cross-contamination. This meant that if I had a reaction to something in my apartment, no one would be there to help me. That is when we started researching emergency call systems. There are many different kinds. Some work with a land-line phone and are stationary where you live. You press a button on the unit or a small remote device (usually a necklace or wrist band) and it calls a dispatch service that has your medical records on file and will call 911 if you can't. If you are unable to speak because you are having trouble breathing, it will dispatch an ambulance to your residence. A more advanced version works like a mini cell phone with a GPS tracker and can be used anywhere away from the home unit. Additionally, a button that you can wear around your neck can detect if you fall (pass out from an allergic reaction). We purchased the advanced mobile help device. An added bonus is that if you are ever in a situation where you feel unsafe, such as walking home from the library at night, you can use the help button to call police. The costs and way the systems operate vary greatly. Some require you to buy equipment and pay for the monitoring service. Others give you the equipment with the service. Some cost less per month if you pay for a year at a time. Do your research. Make sure to choose one with a money back guarantee. We suggest buying it before you go to college, use it to get accustomed to how it works and do all the system testing that the company will require.
When my system first arrived to my house, I was skeptical at first. I didn’t like the idea of wearing a button that was definitely not fashionable. Eventually, I realized how much easier it would make things in the case of an emergency and eventually, I became compliant and have used it since.
Medical Alert Jewelry
Everyone who has a life-threatening medical condition should wear a bracelet or necklace that identifies their conditions. They are easily ordered online at a variety of price points from non-profit and for-profit sources. This jewelry is great because if you are unconscious, not only does it identify you, but it identifies your health conditions and age which makes it easier for doctors to treat you fast and get you the care you need! From an EMT perspective, if I were to find a college student passed out on the ground, the first thing I would assume is a drug overdose or alcohol poisoning-not an allergic reaction. Wearing medical alert jewelry can help us know what could be causing your problems and get you the help you need as fast as possible.
Health Care Power of Attorney
If you will be over 18 years of age in college, and your parents will want to discuss anything related to your health with: student health, any doctor who treats you or emergency personnel in case of an allergic reaction or anything else - they will need a Health Care Power of Attorney. The form can be obtained at americanbar.org. If you live in Indiana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Texas or Wisconsin, you will need a state-specific form. If you live in Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina or West Virginia you must have the form notarized, all other states the notary is optional.
If you are worried that parents will have access to information about reproductive health or anything else unrelated to your allergies and/or asthma, no worries. There is a place on the form to write in exclusions for information to which you don't want your parents or other trusted adult to have access.
Copies of the form should go to:
With your epinephrine auto-injectors with you at all times, an automatic 911 system, medical alert jewelry and a Health Care Power of Attorney, you and your family will be prepared for an emergency.
Automatic 911 Systems
One of the factors that had worried my mother since my housing accommodation was granted was that my college said I had to live alone, because having a roommate posed too great a risk of cross-contamination. This meant that if I had a reaction to something in my apartment, no one would be there to help me. That is when we started researching emergency call systems. There are many different kinds. Some work with a land-line phone and are stationary where you live. You press a button on the unit or a small remote device (usually a necklace or wrist band) and it calls a dispatch service that has your medical records on file and will call 911 if you can't. If you are unable to speak because you are having trouble breathing, it will dispatch an ambulance to your residence. A more advanced version works like a mini cell phone with a GPS tracker and can be used anywhere away from the home unit. Additionally, a button that you can wear around your neck can detect if you fall (pass out from an allergic reaction). We purchased the advanced mobile help device. An added bonus is that if you are ever in a situation where you feel unsafe, such as walking home from the library at night, you can use the help button to call police. The costs and way the systems operate vary greatly. Some require you to buy equipment and pay for the monitoring service. Others give you the equipment with the service. Some cost less per month if you pay for a year at a time. Do your research. Make sure to choose one with a money back guarantee. We suggest buying it before you go to college, use it to get accustomed to how it works and do all the system testing that the company will require.
When my system first arrived to my house, I was skeptical at first. I didn’t like the idea of wearing a button that was definitely not fashionable. Eventually, I realized how much easier it would make things in the case of an emergency and eventually, I became compliant and have used it since.
Medical Alert Jewelry
Everyone who has a life-threatening medical condition should wear a bracelet or necklace that identifies their conditions. They are easily ordered online at a variety of price points from non-profit and for-profit sources. This jewelry is great because if you are unconscious, not only does it identify you, but it identifies your health conditions and age which makes it easier for doctors to treat you fast and get you the care you need! From an EMT perspective, if I were to find a college student passed out on the ground, the first thing I would assume is a drug overdose or alcohol poisoning-not an allergic reaction. Wearing medical alert jewelry can help us know what could be causing your problems and get you the help you need as fast as possible.
Health Care Power of Attorney
If you will be over 18 years of age in college, and your parents will want to discuss anything related to your health with: student health, any doctor who treats you or emergency personnel in case of an allergic reaction or anything else - they will need a Health Care Power of Attorney. The form can be obtained at americanbar.org. If you live in Indiana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Texas or Wisconsin, you will need a state-specific form. If you live in Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina or West Virginia you must have the form notarized, all other states the notary is optional.
If you are worried that parents will have access to information about reproductive health or anything else unrelated to your allergies and/or asthma, no worries. There is a place on the form to write in exclusions for information to which you don't want your parents or other trusted adult to have access.
Copies of the form should go to:
- Student Health (even if you have no plans to use Student Health for primary care.)
- All doctors who treat you near home and school - ask that it be scanned into your chart.
- Your parents
- An electronic version of the signed forms should be stored somewhere on your phone and your parents phones in case they need to be emailed on the fly.
With your epinephrine auto-injectors with you at all times, an automatic 911 system, medical alert jewelry and a Health Care Power of Attorney, you and your family will be prepared for an emergency.