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List of Rx’s and living wills questions

Time of past OR future Camino
Frances(12), Portuguese(13), Finisterre(13), Norte
After reading about the death of a Peregrina last week on the Camino I would like to pose this question to alI seniors walking the Camino alone and for all to consider

Do you have a list of all prescriptions that you take so that should you have an accident or fall You’ll be able to give to the Dr’s. I carry one in my phone cover, IPad cover and two in my wallet

Also do you carry a copy of your Living Will and emergency contacts in your backpack

I believe it’s something All should do
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
After reading about the death of a Peregrina last week on the Camino I would like to pose this question to alI seniors walking the Camino alone and for all to consider

Do you have a list of all prescriptions that you take so that should you have an accident or fall You’ll be able to give to the Dr’s. I carry one in my phone cover, IPad cover and two in my wallet

Also do you carry a copy of your Living Will and emergency contacts in your backpack

I believe it’s something All should do
Great advice! Maybe adding a short phrase in the language of the country you are in would also be helpful. Obviously you don't know in advance what calamity may occur (hence my needing to look up dog bite in my phrase book while en route to a hospital in Spain), but something along the lines of "I need medical aid" could be helpful when faced with a stressful situation.
 
Great advice! Maybe adding a short phrase in the language of the country you are in would also be helpful. Obviously you don't know in advance what calamity may occur (hence my needing to look up dog bite in my phrase book while en route to a hospital in Spain), but something along the lines of "I need medical aid" could be helpful when faced with a stressful situation.
Good advise Vollyjanice .... I recently discovered a new type of translator on Amazon that is getting good reviews talk and it translates to desired language said to be better than Google translator
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
The advice is good to carry a few important phrases that you can use or show in stressful situations.

People of all ages should carry information about any significant medical issue they have, as well as emergency contacts. As for Living Will, keep in mind that the medical and legal systems in different countries can treat those difficult situations very differently, so your Living Will may or may not be understood or applicable. If you have the emergency contact information available, that is what the responders will use.

Obviously this is a very personal matter and there is a huge range of attitudes.
 
Good advise Vollyjanice .... I recently discovered a new type of translator on Amazon that is getting good reviews talk and it translates to desired language said to be better than Google translator[/QUOTE
I will have to look into that Camino Jim. I am technically challenged to say the least but really need to get with the times! Google Translate is what the nurse at the hospital utilized and it was such a help.
 
I have a list of my meds on my iPhone, but I do not carry a physical list. I have no known medical allergies nor take medicine that has a risk when compounded with other types of meds. Nor do I carry personal legal documents other than those needed for travel; any pertinent legal issues would be dealt with by my wife if I were not conscious or aware. Her contact information is predominately labeled and carried with my passport, etc.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
On my cell I have pictures of all my meds with a readable view of the prescription, the dosage, prescribing doctor, and any other useful information from the label. I also backup that information to the cloud should there be a problem with my cell. Spain is a civilized country and internet access is almost everywhere.
 
I have a list of my meds on my iPhone, but I do not carry a physical list. I have no known medical allergies nor take medicine that has a risk when compounded with other types of meds. Nor do I carry personal legal documents other than those needed for travel; any pertinent legal issues would be dealt with by my wife if I were not conscious or aware. Her contact information is predominately labeled and carried with my passport, etc.
Yes, that’s how I do it from Colorado. I do get travel insurance to cover bringing my body home if needed.
 
Yes, that’s how I do it from Colorado. I do get travel insurance to cover bringing my body home if needed.

My Medicare supplemental plan covers international travel quite well, including medical evacuations.

And if my body ever needs to be shipped, just cremate it, put a bit of my ashes in an envelope and send it the cheapest available postage for my family to scatter in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, then throw the rest into a garbage bin so I don't pollute.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Camino Jim-thanks for this thread. Good ideas here. The will and attendant healthcare documents are important when traveling anywhere. Like the Rx photos on phone. Medical evacuation insurance is not usually available with credit cards and insufficient on non-travel insurance plans. A good, cheap thing to have.
 
My Medicare supplemental plan covers international travel quite well, including medical evacuations.

And if my body ever needs to be shipped, just cremate it, put a bit of my ashes in an envelope and send it the cheapest available postage for my family to scatter in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, then throw the rest into a garbage bin so I don't pollute.
Needs to be in writing and that all will happen :)
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
Last week, I got blisters halfway between Saria and Santiago. I went to urgent care - can't recall the town. I thoughtfully saved my travel insurance card, medical insurance card, and photos of all medications in my Google Drive in the cloud. Useless. Couldn't access the cloud from inside the building, wifi data network too weak to connect outside the building. Clinic wouldn't let me pay cash in Euros or dollars (I offered both) because Spain has socialized medicine so everyone must have a medical card or be listed in the computer as indigent - it's a crime for the doctor to accept payment from the patient. After half an hour of pantomime argument, the doctor over-ruled the intake nurse, treated me and told me to email a copy of my insurance card when I reached my hotel with strong wifi, which I did. Could have saved a lot of headache with a paper copy of the travel insurance card.
 
In my wallet, I carry a laminated, credit card sized document with my email address (for people to contact me, should I ever lose my wallet) and the emergency contact information of two family members stating in Spanish, English and German that both speak any of these three languages.
Will update it including some medical data - excellent idea!

My cell phone also displays my email address on screen before being unlocked, so that people can contact me should they find my phone.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Some years back, I developed a Microsoft Word table that splits a sheet of paper into four identical panels. Each panel contains the exact information. One panel has the information in English. The other three have it in Spanish, Portuguese and French. These are all the countries I might be in while on Camino, so the sheet can be reprinted, updated, and folded to expose the desired language panels.

The heading identifies this as Emergency Information.

Following, in a neat format, it contains my name, nationality, passport number, blood type, and religion (with a request to call a priest if I am seriously ill).

The second section contains the In Case Of emergency contacts to call. One is a friend at Santiago de Compostela, and the other is a family member. I included e-mail addresses as well. It also indicates what languages the contact speaks, e.g. 'solo inglese'

The third section contains an outline of my current health issues and conditions, including allergies & 'NKDA.'

The fourth section contains a listing of all my daily medications (generic names), dosages, and frequency.

This information is enough to get health treatment started if I am unconscious, without false starts.

If I had problems getting the translated text to fit, I reduced the spacing between 'paragraphs' and reduced the margins, then the text size incrementally, until it all worked.

The folded sheet, one letter-sized page in quarters, goes in the plastic ziplock with my national passport. This rides in my pant's left cargo pocket. A second copy rides in the upper zip pocket of my rucksack with other papers I might need.

Hope this helps.
 
Yes, that’s how I do it from Colorado. I do get travel insurance to cover bringing my body home if needed.
We also carry a letter both in English and in Spanish that outlines what should be done if we were to die in Spain. The laws require a rather quick burial and it is more difficult to exhume and repatriate remains. We carry insurance to repatriate, but the letter also states that we have made our wishes known in advance and wish to be cremated and returned to the US. Otherwise it is possible that you could be buried before anyone is notified.
 
What a great thread this has been with lots of good ideas for us older folks. Much appreciated!
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
As a runner, I seem to remember that there was a bracelet you could wear that held your important medical, Next of Kin info etc. It's also great to have it on your phone, but if you need medical care because you've just been mugged, or fallen into a river.....! Maybe I am overthinking this....! Also, as others have pointed out, this shouldn't only concern the oldies - medical issues and accidents apply to all and I bet there are a lot more 'younger' people who don't even think to have this kind of plan/info in place, whereas we, the 'more mature', at least think about it!
 
As a registered nurse, this thread caught my eye. As mentioned previously in this thread, the legalities will differ from country to country.
Not wanting to teach anyone to suck eggs, in the UK, we have advanced statements and advanced decisions to refuse treatment. One is legal and one is not.
I for one would do what is best for the patient in an emergency situation. Any doctor / nurse / medical professional, world wide, would do the same.
The validity of written documents would be questionable in an overseas country, especially in an emergency situation, given that there may not be anyone available that is able to read / translate.
On a personal level, if I were in that bad a state - let nature take its course or trust the medics to do their job.
Even if advanced choices were in place, the medics would need to know about them and as mentioned earlier, the chances are they wouldn’t have the opportunity to find out - time being of the essence and all that....!
In a hospital setting in ones own country advanced decisions will work. In an emergency situation on the Camino, I have my doubts.....
If my time is up on the Camino - that’s fine by me.....
Buen Camino.......
 

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