Automatically translated version. The German original is authoritative; all amounts and legal references are unchanged. Zur deutschen Fassung.
Creating an Emergency Folder: Everything Important at Hand When It Counts
A fall, circulatory collapse, sudden confusion: in an emergency, rescue workers and stand-ins need to know within seconds what is going on with the person in need of care — which diagnoses, which medications, whom to call. A well-maintained Notfallmappe (emergency folder) answers these questions when no one is there to answer them.
Why Every Caregiving Family Needs One
- For the emergency services: pre-existing conditions, medications, and allergies determine the right treatment — and no one has to search through drawers under stress.
- For the hospital: with the medication plan, insurance details, and a copy of the power of attorney, admission runs without follow-up questions.
- For stand-ins: replacement caregivers, neighbors, or the care service find everything important in one place — even if the main caregiver is out of action.
The Checklist: What Belongs in It
1. Person & Insurance
- Cover sheet: name, date of birth, address, date of the last update
- Health insurance + insurance number (copy of the health card), Pflegegrad (care level) decision
2. Medical Information
- Current medication plan — from three prescribed medications you are entitled to the standardized nationwide plan from the doctor (§ 31a SGB V)
- Diagnoses/pre-existing conditions, allergies and intolerances, implants (e.g. pacemaker), aids (glasses, hearing aid, walker)
- Most recent doctor's letters, blood type if known
3. Contacts
- Family emergency contacts (with availability), family doctor and specialists, care service
- For the benefit of those around: 112 for emergencies, 116117 for the on-call medical service at night/on weekends
4. Legal Documents
- Vorsorgevollmacht (lasting power of attorney; copy + storage place of the original) — without it, relatives are not automatically allowed to decide
- Patientenverfügung (advance healthcare directive; copy + where to find it): must be drawn up in writing, can be revoked informally at any time (§ 1827 BGB)
- If applicable: care directive (Betreuungsverfügung), organ donor card
5. Practical Matters
- Key arrangement (who has one?), special considerations (pet, stove, stairlift), daily routines in bullet points
Where the Folder Belongs
The best content is useless if no one can find it. A fixed, clearly visible place that everyone involved knows has proven itself — rescue organizations commonly recommend keeping important emergency information on or in the refrigerator (many rescue workers look there first) and pointing to it with a sticker on the inside of the front door. In addition: one copy with the main caregiver and a digital version for the whole family.
Organize care together — with Liova
Liova is your family's digital emergency folder: an emergency card with diagnoses, allergies, and contacts — accessible to first responders via a revocable SOS QR code even without a login, and the medication plan stays up to date automatically.
Try free for 14 daysFrequently Asked Questions
Paper or digital — which is better?
Both together. The emergency services work with paper on site — the folder must be physically within reach. Digitally, the family has the same information at hand on the go (e.g. at the hospital when the folder is at home) and keeps it up to date more easily. Ideal: paper on site + a well-maintained digital version as the source for printouts.
Where do I get the official medication plan?
Anyone who permanently takes at least three prescribed medications has a legal right to the standardized nationwide medication plan — usually created and updated by the family doctor (§ 31a SGB V). Simply ask at the next appointment; pharmacies will also update it on request.
Does the original of the advance healthcare directive have to go in the folder?
The folder should contain at least a copy plus a clear note on where the original is kept. The Patientenverfügung itself must be drawn up in writing; it can be revoked informally at any time (§ 1827 BGB). By the way, without a Vorsorgevollmacht, relatives are not automatically allowed to decide.
Isn't it risky to leave such sensitive data lying around openly?
The folder deliberately contains exactly the data that saves lives in an emergency — that is its purpose. It belongs in a place known to the household and trusted persons (not at the front door). If you prefer, put only the brief info (emergency card) outside and keep the details in the folder inside the house.
How often does the folder need to be updated?
Immediately after every change in medication and after hospital stays; otherwise check it as a routine every three months. The cover sheet should always show the date of the last update — an outdated folder can be more dangerous than none at all.