Is this an emergency?
Not sure which? Walk down this page. Stop at the first section that matches.
Call 911 now
- They are missing. They wandered off, or you can't find them. Say “a person with dementia is missing.” This changes how fast the response is. Then search nearby: favorite places, the old workplace, the way to a former home.
- A fall with injury, a blow to the head or other head injury, they hit their head, or they can't get up.
- Signs of stroke: sudden face droop, one-sided weakness or a weak arm, slurred, garbled, or lost speech, sudden trouble seeing, sudden trouble walking, or a sudden severe headache. Note the time. Do not drive them.
- Trouble breathing or short of breath, choking and they cannot speak, chest pain or tightness, or a heart attack (pain in the arm, jaw, or back, a cold sweat, or nausea). A seizure (they are seizing, or a convulsion), no pulse, passed out, or unresponsive. If you start CPR, stay on the line.
- Bleeding that will not stop, or vomiting blood.
- Anyone is in physical danger, including you. Leave the room first, then call. If he has dementia and you were hurt: what to say and expect.
Tell responders about the dementia right away. It changes how they approach, question, and treat.
Swallowed something that isn't food?
- Call Poison Help first: 1-800-222-1222. Free, confidential, answered around the clock by your regional poison center. Soap, mouthwash, someone else's pills, took too many pills, an overdose, cleaning products, a houseplant: they know exactly which ones matter and which don't.
- Keep the container in your hand. They'll ask what it was, about how much, and when. Mention the dementia so they know self-report is unreliable.
- Don't make them vomit. Do exactly what the poison expert says instead; with many products, vomiting does more harm.
- Collapsed, seizing, trouble breathing, or can't be woken: that's 911, not the poison line.
Call the doctor today
- Confusion that got suddenly worse, over hours or a few days. This is the big one caregivers miss: sudden change is usually not the dementia. It's often a urinary tract infection, another infection, dehydration, or a medication problem, and it's treatable. Say the words: “This is a sudden change from their normal.”
- New hallucinations in someone who never had them.
- A fall even without obvious injury, if they take blood thinners.
- Stopped drinking fluids, dark urine, dizziness.
- Missed critical medication (heart, diabetes, seizure) more than a day.
- New violence or extreme agitation that came out of nowhere. Think pain or infection first.
Don't carry it alone
- You're at your edge: exhausted, hopeless, or scared of your own temper. That is a real emergency of a different kind. The Alzheimer's Association 24/7 Helpline (1-800-272-3900) is free and answers around the clock every day of the year. A live person picks up. A longer care consultation is with a master's-level clinician. More than 200 languages.
- Thoughts of suicide, or not wanting to live: in the U.S., call or text 988, anytime.
- Finding local help (respite, adult day programs, meals, transport): the Eldercare Locator, 1-800-677-1116 (Mon–Fri) connects you to your Area Agency on Aging. State-by-state numbers live on the resources page.
- Everything else (the repeating questions, the bathing fights) lives on the Help now page, one tap away.
The hospital survival guide covers the go-bag, staying with them, hospital delirium, the inpatient-or-observation question, and how to fight a discharge that comes too soon.
Two wallet cards worth printing today
Print, cut, and tuck one in your wallet and one in theirs. The first smooths a hundred public moments; the second, if your person has (or may have) Lewy body dementia, can prevent a hospital catastrophe, because ERs reach for exactly the drugs LBD can't tolerate.
My companion has dementia. They may say or do unexpected things. Please be patient with us. Thank you for your kindness.
Caregiver: ______________ Phone: ______________
I have suspected Lewy body dementia (LBD). Do NOT give antipsychotics (e.g., haloperidol/Haldol) without consulting my neurologist. People with LBD can have severe, life-threatening reactions.
Neurologist: ______________ Family: ______________
The one rule that catches most hidden emergencies: compare to their normal, not to “normal.” Gradual change over months is usually the disease. Sudden change over hours or days usually isn't, and sudden change is a phone call, today.
The pocket booklet prints this page plus every crisis card, to keep by the phone.