Q. My wife, Joanne, was recently in a car accident. Luckily, it wasn’t serious. What would happen if one of us were in a serious car accident? How would the emergency personnel know that she is diabetic and that I have Parkinson’s Disease? What if we are hurt or shaken up and cannot communicate with the first responders?A. A program called the Yellow Dot program is designed to help crash victims, especially seniors, communicate with rescuers during the crucial first 60 minutes after a serious crash that can make the difference between life and death for the critically injured.
Participants in the free program receive a yellow dot to place on their rear window; it alerts emergency services personnel to look for a corresponding yellow folder in the glove box. That folder contains a photograph, a list of medical conditions, prescriptions, and other vital information.
The nation’s first Yellow Dot program began in Connecticut in 2002. Yellow Dot programs, with slight variations from state to state, are in counties scattered across at least eight other states: Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Virginia, Alabama and New York.
The Yellow Dot program is one of many services offered by TRIAD, a crime prevention program for senior citizens that is designed to keep seniors safe on the road and at home. There are currently 226 counties (including Fairfax and Spotsylvania Counties), cities, and towns that participate in TRIAD, and most of the programs are available at little to no cost.
What happens if you are in a serious accident and you become incapacitated? Once you have your documents in place, how can your loved ones locate them when they are needed? At The Fairfax and Fredericksburg Elder Law Firm of Evan H. Farr, P.C., we offer a service called DocuBank to ensure that that the documents you’ve completed will be there when you need them most, such as when you are hospitalized. DocuBank is an electronic storage and access service for healthcare directives and other legal documents, so your documents are available whenever you need them. Read more about Docubank in our blog post, FAQ: Storing Important Documents, such as Advance Medical Directives.
If you have not done Incapacity Planning, Estate Planning, or Long-Term Care Planning, or if you have a loved one who is nearing the need for long-term care or already receiving long-term care, please contact Farr Law Firm, P.C. as soon as possible at our Virginia Elder Law Fairfax office at 703-691-1888 or at our Virginia Elder Law Fredericksburg office at 540-479-1435 to schedule your appointment for an introductory consultation.
About Evan H Farr, CELA, CAP
