The Blue Bottle program is a go, thanks to the Prince George Council of Seniors.
The program sees seniors become proactive about their own well being and be better prepared for illness or emergencies, said Lola Dawn Fennell, seniors council general manager.
"It's exciting to start a new program aimed at helping seniors and elders to be better prepared for emergencies, especially those who live alone," said Fennell. "Who can think clearly in the middle of an emergency? I know that I've experienced at least one really stressful situation where I could hardly remember my own name, never mind detailed medical information. If you plan for emergencies before they happen, it's easier to get through them."
When emergency personnel come into a home of a senior needing assistance, care is often delayed because they don't have important medical information about that person, added Fennell. The contents of a Blue Bottle will provide critical information which will be especially useful when a person cannot respond themselves. This will help to assess the patient more quickly and a life could be saved.
In the free Blue Bottle kit, seniors will get an instruction sheet, a personal medical information form and a blue prescription bottle labeled In Case Of Emergency. Seniors complete the medical information form with details like their name, doctor's name, emergency contact, existing medical conditions or allergies, current medications, and Care Card number.
The completed form is then folded and put inside the blue prescription bottle. The bottle then goes into the freezer section of the refrigerator. The kit includes a magnet for the refrigerator door and a sticker for the individual's main entrance door to alert emergency personnel that there is a Blue Bottle on the premises. The Blue Bottle program is already a proven success in Salmon Arm.
"The Council of Seniors is grateful for the grant from the Prince George Community Foundation as well as our project partners IDA drugstores, Hart Drugs, Third Avenue Pharmacy, and Phoenix Dispensary for making this whole Blue Bottle Program possible," said Fennell.
A Blue Bottle Kit can be picked up at no charge at Hart Drugs, Third Avenue Pharmacy, the Phoenix Dispensary or the Seniors Resource Centre at 721 Victoria St.
