MedicAlert Foundation Canada, in partnership with provincial police, has expanded the type of information it will store for use in emergency situations.
The new background information and medical information stored with MedicAlert will help people with conditions such as dementia, cognitive brain injuries and autism, who often have difficulty communicating.
OPP Const. Kerry Schmidt said that the new information will help officers prevent violent situations from developing.
“If we have information that will assist us in telling us either what we should say or what we should avoid saying to avoid a trigger or some sort of escalation of the crisis, this information is going to be so valuable for us,” said Schmidt.
Speaking at Humber River Hospital, 14-year-old Kayden Beebe said that as a person with autism, he sometimes has a hard time explaining what he needs to others.
“I usually just walk away and I don’t say anything,” said Beebe. “It happens to me at school a lot actually.”
Police officers will now have access to MedicAlert information about a registered patient’s medical conditions, past history, triggers, as well as de-escalation techniques that could help in an emergency situation.
When an emergency arises, a police officer or hospital staff can send a patient’s identification number to Medic Alert to get instant details about how to help them smoothly.
The cost to register with MedicAlert is about $60 a year, but the charitable organization has ways to cover that cost for families with financial challenges.
