Vial of Life and File of Life: a fridge medical form for a parent

What is the Vial of Life?

The Vial of Life is a medical information form kept in the home where emergency responders can find it quickly if the person can't speak for themselves. Local programs typically give out a plastic container (the "vial") or a plastic sleeve, a form, and stickers.

Brevard County, Florida's Office of EMS, for example, describes a free kit with a vial, a medical information form and two green stickers. The form covers medications, medical history, allergies and emergency contacts, and the county suggests filling it in in pencil so you can update it (Brevard County EMS (opens in a new tab)). The national site vialoflife.com sells kits (two decals and one form) for a few dollars and offers a free printable form (vialoflife.com (opens in a new tab)).

What is the File of Life?

The File of Life is the same idea in a different container: a magnetic pocket, about the size of an index card, that sticks to the outside of the fridge. The Arkansas Attorney General's program, for instance, lists preferred doctors or hospitals, emergency contacts, current medications, allergies, medical conditions and medical and surgical history, all kept in a pouch with a magnet (Arkansas AG (opens in a new tab)).

In the UK the equivalent is the Lions Message in a Bottle scheme. See our UK guide.

What to put on the form

Whatever version you use, the useful information is the same:

• Full name, date of birth, and a recent photo if the form has space
• Allergies (medicines, foods, latex) and the reaction
• Current medications: name, strength and directions as on the label. See how to make a medication list.
• Medical conditions and past surgeries; implanted devices such as a pacemaker
• Primary doctor, key specialists and preferred hospital
• Insurance (carrier and member number; some families write only the last four digits)
• Emergency contacts, in order
• Where key documents are kept: healthcare proxy, power of attorney, and any DNR or POLST form
• The date the form was last checked

If your parent has a DNR or POLST, find out what your local EMS expects. Responders usually need the actual signed form, so tell them exactly where it is (some programs suggest keeping it with the vial).

Where to put it

• The form: in the vial on a refrigerator shelf, in the magnetic pocket on the fridge door, or in a plastic bag taped to the fridge. Follow your local program's instructions.
• The stickers: typically one on the fridge and one on or near the front door, so responders know a form is inside. Brevard County's instructions put one decal on the front door or a window near the main entrance and the second on the outside of the refrigerator.
• A copy: in your parent's wallet, on your phone, and with each sibling. The fridge copy only helps if the emergency happens at home.

Where to get one free

• Your local fire department or EMS agency. Many hand out kits, and some will deliver.
• Your Area Agency on Aging or senior center. Find yours through the Eldercare Locator, a public service of the U.S. Administration for Community Living (1-800-677-1116 or eldercare.acl.gov (opens in a new tab)).
• Your state attorney general, county or city. Several run File of Life programs.
• Pharmacies and hospitals sometimes stock them.
• Print your own. Our free one-page ER sheet covers the same information in large print and fits on the fridge. Put it in a clear sleeve or zip bag.

The weakness: it goes out of date

The most common problem with fridge forms is that they're filled in once and never touched again. Medications change after nearly every hospital stay or specialist visit, and an out-of-date list can mislead the people trying to help. Caregivers in online forums also mention that the form sometimes leaves with the patient and doesn't come back.

A few habits help:

1. Date it. Write "Last checked: [date]" at the top, and update the date every time you review it, even if nothing changed.
2. Review it on a schedule: every three months, and after every hospital stay, ER visit or new prescription.
3. Keep a master copy (on your phone or computer) so you can reprint quickly when the fridge copy goes missing.
4. Tell your siblings when it changes, and ask them to throw away old copies.

Vial of Life vs. a one-page ER sheet vs. an app

These work best together: the form on the fridge, a copy in the wallet, and the phone's medical ID filled in.

Where ParentFile fits

ParentFile produces a fridge sheet in the same spirit as the Vial of Life, built from photos of the pill bottles and insurance cards. It has a "last verified" date, a wallet card, and a QR code that opens a view-only page for siblings. When a hospital stay changes the medications, you update it once and reprint. It organizes information. It doesn't give medical advice.