What to Put in a Dementia 'Go-Bag' for ER Visits

An ER visit with a parent who has dementia is harder than an ER visit without — the unfamiliar room, the bright lights, the questions the parent cannot answer, the wait that stretches for hours. The setting can be upsetting and confusing for a person with dementia, creating agitation and anxiety. A pre-packed 'go-bag' on the closet shelf saves an hour at the door and an evening of trying to remember what year a medication was started.

This guide walks through what to put in a dementia go-bag, what to put in a one-page 'About my parent' summary that lives at the top of the bag, how to keep the bag current without it becoming a chore, and what to remember to grab in the actual moment when you are headed for the car.

Why the bag matters

ER visits with a parent who has dementia may take longer than other ER visits. The triage nurse cannot get a clear history if the POA or caregiver isn’t present, because the patient with dementia cannot give one. The ER team orders extra tests because they cannot rule things out by history. The wait stretches because the room is loud and unfamiliar and the patient's distress feeds the diagnostic uncertainty. A pre-packed bag does two things: it gives the ER team what they need quickly, and it gives the patient with dementia things that calm them while they wait.

The bag also saves the caregiver. In the actual moment of an ER trip — at 2 a.m., after a fall, after a sudden confusion — the caregiver is rarely capable of remembering what to bring. A bag that lives on the closet shelf, packed in advance, removes that decision. The caregiver grabs the bag and the parent's coat, and the rest is already in the bag.

The 'About my parent' one-page summary

The single most useful item in the bag is a one-page summary the ER team can read in thirty seconds. It belongs in a clear sleeve at the top of the bag, with a duplicate folded into the parent's wallet. ER nurses and physicians describe these summaries as one of the most useful things a family can bring.

• Full name, date of birth, and preferred nameHow does the parent want to be addressed by strangers? "Mrs. Hayes" or "Eleanor"? It changes how the parent responds to questions.
• Dementia type and approximate stageA short sentence: "Alzheimer's, middle stage. Can answer simple yes-or-no questions; cannot give a reliable history. Best response to calm, slow speech."
• Current medications and allergiesA printed, dated list of every prescription, every supplement, and known allergies or prior reactions. Replace at every medication change.
• Primary care, neurology, and key specialistsNames and phone numbers. The ER will often want to call.
• Emergency contacts in priority orderTwo names, with relationships and best numbers. Mark which one has the POA.
• Behavior notes the ER team will needTriggers (the dark, being touched without warning, being asked too many questions at once), comforts (a familiar phrase, a favorite song, holding hands), and the words that calm vs. the words that escalate.

What else goes in the bag

Beyond the one-page summary, the bag holds three categories of items: more documents, comfort, and the practical things. The exact contents will be different for every parent — a beloved cardigan for one, a photo album for another — but the categories are stable.

• Document folderCopies (not originals) of the POA, the healthcare directive, the insurance cards, a recent ECG or recent labs if there is a relevant condition, and a contact sheet for the primary-care office. Replace the medication list every time a medication changes.
• A familiar blanket or shawlER rooms are cold and the cold makes confusion worse. A familiar texture from home settles the room.
• A small framed photoA photograph of the parent's family, particularly the spouse and the children. Helps with orientation when the room is overwhelming.
• A favorite snack and a sealed water bottleThe wait may be long; the cafeteria may be closed. A familiar snack is also a real reorienting cue.
• Phone charger and a long cableER outlets are often far from the bed. A six-foot cable beats a three-foot one. A small power bank is a useful backup.
• A book, a small puzzle, or a familiar playlistSomething for the parent. Something for the caregiver. Hours pass. Music the parent already knows often calms them.
• A spare change of clothes and continence suppliesA soft, loose set of clothes. Two or three continence products if relevant. The parent may not be able to use the ER bathroom without help.
• A small pouch with the caregiver's essentialsA spare phone charger for the caregiver, lip balm, a granola bar, hand cream, a small bottle of water. The caregiver is also in the room for the long haul.

Keeping the bag current

A bag is only useful if it is current. The most common failure pattern is a bag packed two years ago with a medication list that no longer matches the what is being taken today. The fix: a once-a-quarter check-in. First Sunday of the new quarter, open the bag, check the medication list against the actual bottles, refresh the snack.

Two events should trigger an immediate update. The first is any medication change — new prescription, dose change, stopped medication. The second is a new diagnosis, a new specialist, or a new emergency contact. Most other items (the blanket, the photo, the book) do not change. A sticky note on the inside of the bag with the date of the last refresh helps to track when the last review took place.

In the actual moment

When the moment comes — a fall, a sudden confusion that does not lift, a fever, a wandering episode that ended at the ER — the caregiver grabs three things and goes. The bag from the closet shelf. The parent's coat. The parent. Everything else is in the bag.

On the drive, call the primary-care office (if it is during hours) or the after-hours nurse line to let them know you are heading to the ER. They can sometimes call ahead and shorten the door-to-triage time. If your parent will be more comfortable in a familiar wheelchair, bring it. If you have a few minutes, snap a photo of the medication bottles on the counter for the road. Otherwise the bag has everything the ER needs.

A 2 a.m. ER trip may be tied to a sundowning episode that escalated. For the longer piece on sundowning specifically — and the things to try at home before it gets to the ER stage — see Sundowning at 2 a.m.: what's happening and what to try first. The one-page summary in the bag names the dementia type, and the type matters more than families expect in the ER — Lewy body in particular changes the medication safety conversation. For the type-by-type primer, see Alzheimer's, vascular, Lewy body, frontotemporal: how to tell them apart. The ER team will also want to rule out infections that can present in dementia as sudden confusion. For the broader first-month playbook this conversation feeds into, see The First 30 Days After a Dementia Diagnosis. For the longer pillar of related guides, the Dementia & Alzheimer's hub has the full set.