Medical authorization for parents taking care of child

[Anonymous]

My DH and I are going out of the country on vacation for a week, and my parents are coming to take care of our 2 year old DS. DS is generally a really healthy kid, hardly ever sick, but he does have food allergies so there's always the chance that something could happen and he would get exposed to an allergen and have to go to the ER. My mom asked if I needed to leave some kind of document to demonstrate that she had the authority to make medical decisions for DS. Despite being a (useless corporate) attorney, I have no idea! Anyone know?

(Those of you who are considering replying to flame me for daring to take a vacation without my child, please go jump off a bridge instead).

[Anonymous]

Just write a letter giving her permission.

[Anonymous]

Yes. We do this when we leave our son with grandparents. If you google there are a ton of templates. Also be sure to leave insurance cards and a list of allergies, medical conditions etc in case your parents can’t remember at the moment. It’s always good to be prepared just in case and it’s good for peace of mind.

[Anonymous]

You doctor's office might have their own, downloadable form for someone else to have medical authorization.

There are also tons of online sites where you can download a generic form. If you are worried, you can also have it notarized before you leave.

[Anonymous]

PS- leave your child's health and dental insurance cards, as well as good numbers to reach you (including the hotel). If you don't have the medical authorization form notarized, at least sign it. Also put an expiration date (no one wants Grandma making health care decisions for Jr. in 2022).

PPS- enjoy!!! Parents need to have some time away every now and then.

[Anonymous]

agree with the other recommendations and don't forget to list out his pediatrician's name, office info and phone number, and same for dentist if you have one already. If there is an emergency, it will be easier for your parents to grab the packet of papers that has all the medical info together.

[Anonymous]

We just wrote a letter stating that the grandparents had the authority to make medical and dental decisions from [date] to [date]. And then we listed our names and contact information, the kids' names, DOBs, blood type, and allergy information, our insurance information, and our pediatrician's name and contact number. That was it was all on one page for easy reference.

[Anonymous]

Former EMT here. You do not need to leave permission for emergency treatment. There is something called implied consent. It is assumed you would want your child treated in an emergency. An allergic reaction would fall under that.

The reason you would need to give them medical control is if a decision needs to be made that has risks. Your child has issue A, we can do fix B with this side effect or try fix C but it has this side effect and is only 50% effective.....that type of thing. Personally I would want to make those decisions myself even if out of the country. They would not be an emergency case and you can probably get back in time. But of you feel better giving them this control this is what its for, not emergencies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH and I are going out of the country on vacation for a week, and my parents are coming to take care of our 2 year old DS. DS is generally a really healthy kid, hardly ever sick, but he does have food allergies so there's always the chance that something could happen and he would get exposed to an allergen and have to go to the ER. My mom asked if I needed to leave some kind of document to demonstrate that she had the authority to make medical decisions for DS. Despite being a (useless corporate) attorney, I have no idea! Anyone know?

(Those of you who are considering replying to flame me for daring to take a vacation without my child, please go jump off a bridge instead).

I don't give a flip that you're taking a vacation without your son but anyone taking care of your child should have authorization to take your child to a doctor or hospital in the event of an emergency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just wrote a letter stating that the grandparents had the authority to make medical and dental decisions from [date] to [date]. And then we listed our names and contact information, the kids' names, DOBs, blood type, and allergy information, our insurance information, and our pediatrician's name and contact number. That was it was all on one page for easy reference.

E clent example of what to do. Others should profit by your example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DH and I are going out of the country on vacation for a week, and my parents are coming to take care of our 2 year old DS. DS is generally a really healthy kid, hardly ever sick, but he does have food allergies so there's always the chance that something could happen and he would get exposed to an allergen and have to go to the ER. My mom asked if I needed to leave some kind of document to demonstrate that she had the authority to make medical decisions for DS. Despite being a (useless corporate) attorney, I have no idea! Anyone know?

(Those of you who are considering replying to flame me for daring to take a vacation without my child, please go jump off a bridge instead).

I don't give a flip that you're taking a vacation without your son but anyone taking care of your child should have authorization to take your child to a doctor or hospital in the event of an emergency.

Which is exactly why she's asking...it's the whole point of this thread.
Why the attitude?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DH and I are going out of the country on vacation for a week, and my parents are coming to take care of our 2 year old DS. DS is generally a really healthy kid, hardly ever sick, but he does have food allergies so there's always the chance that something could happen and he would get exposed to an allergen and have to go to the ER. My mom asked if I needed to leave some kind of document to demonstrate that she had the authority to make medical decisions for DS. Despite being a (useless corporate) attorney, I have no idea! Anyone know?

(Those of you who are considering replying to flame me for daring to take a vacation without my child, please go jump off a bridge instead).

I don't give a flip that you're taking a vacation without your son but anyone taking care of your child should have authorization to take your child to a doctor or hospital in the event of an emergency.

Anyone can take anyones child to an emergency room for treatment of an emergency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former EMT here. You do not need to leave permission for emergency treatment. There is something called implied consent. It is assumed you would want your child treated in an emergency. An allergic reaction would fall under that.

The reason you would need to give them medical control is if a decision needs to be made that has risks. Your child has issue A, we can do fix B with this side effect or try fix C but it has this side effect and is only 50% effective.....that type of thing. Personally I would want to make those decisions myself even if out of the country. They would not be an emergency case and you can probably get back in time. But of you feel better giving them this control this is what its for, not emergencies.

This. You don't need to give them permission to take your kid to the ER if he falls and breaks his arm. The ER will treat him. You need it for non-emergency but still urgent treatment decisions that cannot or should not wait for someone to make a decision. That is a much narrower band of cases, but we still felt better giving that authorization. Plus, we gave them a list of basic medical information about the kid--DOB, weight (for dosing issues), blood type, allergies, etc., so that they would have it available in an emergency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DH and I are going out of the country on vacation for a week, and my parents are coming to take care of our 2 year old DS. DS is generally a really healthy kid, hardly ever sick, but he does have food allergies so there's always the chance that something could happen and he would get exposed to an allergen and have to go to the ER. My mom asked if I needed to leave some kind of document to demonstrate that she had the authority to make medical decisions for DS. Despite being a (useless corporate) attorney, I have no idea! Anyone know?

(Those of you who are considering replying to flame me for daring to take a vacation without my child, please go jump off a bridge instead).

I don't give a flip that you're taking a vacation without your son but anyone taking care of your child should have authorization to take your child to a doctor or hospital in the event of an emergency.

Are you unable to read?

[Anonymous]

Yes, you can download a form online. It's less about your child receiving care and more to avoid a massive headache with your insurance company, unless your parents have copies of your insurance information while at the ER/Doctor.