Dear User of Home Mechanical Ventilation,

 

 

In the spring of 2006, the Ventilator Users’ Medical Emergency project of International Ventilator Users Network (IVUN) asked ventilator users with a neuromuscular condition, their families and caregivers, and their health professionals how to improve the often traumatic outcome of medical emergencies. To our surprise, all three groups cited the same three factors as most critical for fostering successful emergency care.

• Advance preparation by ventilator users,

• Open communication between all parties, and

• Education of medical staff about the unique needs of this group

 

Thanks to funding from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, IVUN is pleased to present a portfolio of four documents which address these issues head on. We’ve called this portfolio “Take Charge, Not Chances.”

 

Now we invite you to do just that! You can take charge by doing the work of making these documents your “own” and by having the last two with you at all times. You can download the third document and customize it as needed. The other three are for use “as is,” although they may be updated occasionally.

 

There are so many things we cannot change. But we can be prepared for a medical emergency. We believe peace of mind will be the reward.