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Something Just Happened

A fall. A hospitalization. A sudden change in behavior or condition. A phone call that changed everything.

If you're reading this in the middle of an emergency, here's what matters right now.

Immediate resources

Situation Call
Medical emergency 911
Suicide or crisis 988 (call or text)
Crisis — prefer text Text 741741
Poison 1-800-222-1222
Elder abuse 1-800-677-1116 (Eldercare Locator)
Domestic violence 1-800-799-7233

If someone is in the hospital

First 24 hours

At the hospital:

  • Ask to speak with the social worker or case manager assigned to the patient. This person is your most important ally for what comes next
  • Get the name and direct number of the attending physician and the nurse manager on the floor
  • Ask: "What is the plan, and what should I expect in the next 24-48 hours?"
  • If the person has an advance directive or healthcare proxy, make sure the hospital has a copy

Practical steps:

  • Bring or send their medication list (or have the pharmacy fax it)
  • Bring their insurance cards
  • If they'll be admitted, pack essentials: comfortable clothes, toiletries, phone charger, glasses, hearing aids
  • Notify other family members with facts, not speculation

Before discharge

Hospitals will discharge patients as soon as they're medically stable — often faster than you expect. Before they leave:

  • Get a written discharge plan including medications, follow-up appointments, and warning signs to watch for
  • Ask about home care — physical therapy, visiting nurse, home health aide. The hospital social worker can arrange these before discharge
  • Understand the medications — new prescriptions, changed dosages, stopped medications. Ask the pharmacist to review everything together
  • Assess home readiness — Can they safely go home? Do they need equipment (walker, hospital bed, commode)? See Home & Safety

Do not let them be discharged until you understand the plan. You have the right to ask questions and to say "I need more information before I'm comfortable with this."

If someone fell

Falls in older adults are medical events, not just accidents.

  • If they can't get up or are in pain: Call 911. Don't try to move them — you could worsen a fracture
  • If they got up and seem okay: Call their doctor within 24 hours. Falls often cause injuries that show up later (internal bleeding from blood thinners, hairline fractures)
  • Regardless: Document what happened, when, and where. This information helps the doctor assess fall risk and prevent the next one

After the immediate crisis, see Aging & Frailty for fall prevention strategies.

If there's a sudden behavioral or cognitive change

A sudden change in behavior, confusion, or cognitive function in someone who was previously stable may be:

  • Delirium (from infection, medication change, dehydration) — this is a medical emergency
  • Stroke — sudden confusion, speech difficulty, facial drooping, weakness on one side = call 911 immediately
  • Medication reaction — new medication or dosage change in the last few days

Call their doctor or go to the emergency department. Sudden cognitive changes are almost always medical, not just "getting worse."

If you are in crisis yourself

Caregiving crises don't just happen to the person you're caring for. They happen to you.

If you are:

  • Having thoughts of harming yourself
  • Feeling like you can't continue
  • So overwhelmed you can't think clearly
  • Frightened by your own thoughts or feelings

Call or text 988. You do not need to be suicidal to call. You need to be struggling, and that is enough.

Text 741741 if you prefer text.

You are allowed to need help. You are allowed to be in crisis while also being a caregiver. Both things can be true at the same time.

After the immediate crisis

Once the emergency is stabilized, within the next few days:

  1. Debrief with the medical team. What happened, why, and what changes are needed to prevent recurrence?
  2. Update the care plan. The situation that existed before the crisis may no longer be appropriate
  3. Notify key people. Other family members, the primary care physician (if different from the hospital team), home care providers
  4. Check yourself. Crises burn through physical and emotional reserves. You need rest, even if you feel like you can't stop
  5. Consider whether the current living arrangement is still safe. A crisis is often the signal that a higher level of care is needed

See Legal & Navigation for help navigating insurance, discharge planning, and care coordination. See People & Support for respite and support after a crisis.

Emergency numbers

911 — Medical emergency, immediate danger

988 — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text, 24/7)

741741 — Crisis Text Line (text, 24/7)

1-800-222-1222 — Poison Control

1-800-677-1116 — Eldercare Locator