The Hypersomnia Foundation is pleased to announce that we have created a Medical Alert Card, designed expressly for people with idiopathic hypersomnia (IH). The card is FREE and can be downloaded from our website HERE.
Our Medical Alert Card is designed to both (1) allow a person with IH to list their regular medical information (including their IH medications), and (2) educate emergency medical personnel about the neurological disorder of idiopathic hypersomnia and its potential for interfering with anesthesia and other drugs. Since many people (including medical personnel) are not familiar with IH, the information about IH on this Card may prevent possible problems in an emergency situation.
We also recommend adding a Medical Alert app to your smartphone, which can be seen by emergency medical personnel even if your phone is in a locked mode. (Examples of these Medical Alert apps are Medical ID and ICE Standard, both of which are available for iPhones and Android phones.) Another way to alert emergency personnel is by wearing a Medical Alert device, such as a bracelet or pendant. These wearable devices can be found on a variety of online sites. (If you decide to purchase a wearable device from Amazon, please consider going to AmazonSmile, where you can designate the Hypersomnia Foundation as your charity of choice, and then Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchase to the Foundation. You can do this for all of your Amazon purchases, and there is no additional cost to you.)
However, even IF you have a smartphone app or a wearable device, it is ALWAYS recommended to also have a Medical Alert Card in case your smartphone is damaged or lost in an accident or if your wearable device is damaged or removed by emergency medical personnel.
Therefore, we encourage EVERYONE with IH to download one of these Medical Alert cards, even if you already have a phone app or wearable device. Simply fill out the Card, and carry it with you everywhere. It’s free, it’s easy, and the life you save may be your own!
And if you or a loved one find our new IH-specific, free Medical Alert Card useful, please consider making a donation to the Hypersomnia Foundation today. We are a nonprofit organization, solely dependent on donations from people like you to help us fulfill our mission of improving the lives of people with IH.