Learn It
Live It
Share ItEmergencies and When to Call 911
in the Academy
🚨 Welcome, Caregiver!
Recognize, respond, report. This module is about 6 classroom-equivalent hours across the video lesson, this eBook and practice.
By the end you can
- Recognize signs of a medical emergency
- Know what to do first, including when to call 911
- Prepare a client's home for emergencies and disasters
🪙 You earn LEARN It coins as you turn the pages, and a chapter badge when you reach each section.
Emergencies and When to Call 911
Call 911 for
Chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing, signs of stroke, a person who will not wake up or respond, a seizure that does not stop, severe bleeding, choking, a serious fall or head injury, or a sudden severe change. When in doubt, call.
Stroke: think F.A.S.T.
Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech trouble, Time to call 911. Note the time symptoms started. Fast treatment can save brain function.
What to do first
Check that the scene is safe. Call 911 or have someone call. Stay with the person. Follow the dispatcher's instructions. Give care only within your training. CPR and first aid require their own certification course.
Emergencies and When to Call 911 continued
Know the client's wishes
Some clients have advance directives or a do-not-resuscitate order. Know where your agency says these papers are kept and follow your agency's policy. Give a copy to emergency responders if your agency directs you to.
Be ready before it happens
Keep the address, emergency contacts, medicine list and allergies by the phone. Know the fire exits. Help the client build an emergency kit with water, food, medicine and copies of key papers. Report every emergency to your supervisor.
Words Caregivers Use
A sudden situation that threatens life or health and needs help now.
Face, Arm, Speech, Time: a way to spot a stroke.
A legal paper that tells the care team a person's wishes for medical care.
Do not resuscitate: an order not to start CPR.
Mrs. Garcia's sudden change
While you help Mrs. Garcia with lunch, her face droops on one side, her speech is slurred and she drops her spoon.
Your care steps
- Note the time the symptoms started
- Call 911 and say you think it is a stroke
- Stay with her and keep her safe; give nothing to eat or drink
- Share the address, her medicine list and the time of onset with responders
- Report to your supervisor and document what happened
In the Qwest, the steps are shuffled. Put them in the safest order to earn your LIVE It coins.
Keep caring: Emergencies and When to Call 911
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
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- Sleep
- Speech trouble
- Sugar
- Sweating
- Make sure the scene is safe
- Call the family
- Clean up
- Write a note
- Tell them to rest and check later
- Call 911
- Give them aspirin from the cabinet
- Drive them yourself
- For the newsletter
- Treatment choices depend on it
- It is not important
- For billing
- In your car
- By the phone or where your agency says
- Nowhere
- In the trash
Answers are on page 11. In the Qwest this is the Boss Quiz — score 80% to earn the station badge.
Keep caring: Emergencies and When to Call 911
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
Get this eBook · $9.99All 10 eBooks + Ambassador membership · $49Home Care learners and Ambassadors: this series is included.Sign in to unlockModule 8 Skills Lab
Practice and get checked on these 2 skills
CPR and first aid must be learned and checked in person through a recognized certification course. FFH does not certify CPR.
| Skill | Date practiced | Instructor initials |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency response role-play: recognize, call 911, report | ||
| Choking response and CPR (through a separate certification course) |
Hands-on skills and competency checks are completed in person with an approved partner program. Reading this eBook does not make you competent in a skill. Aides follow the care plan and the supervising nurse. For medicines, follow your state's rules and your agency's care plan.
Keep caring: Emergencies and When to Call 911
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
Get this eBook · $9.99All 10 eBooks + Ambassador membership · $49Home Care learners and Ambassadors: this series is included.Sign in to unlockTeach It Forward
The fastest way to master a skill is to teach it. Your Share It challenge:
- Teach someone the F.A.S.T. stroke signs.
- Use teach-back: ask them to tell or show you the idea in their own words.
- Post what you learned (no client names or photos) in your group or the Share It Studio to earn SHARE It coins.
Keep caring: Emergencies and When to Call 911
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
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Use this log to practice objective notes during lab or role-play. In a real job, use your agency's record system only. Never write client names here.
| Date / time | What I saw or measured | What the client said | Who I told | Instructions given |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Report changes the same day. Call 911 first in an emergency.
Keep caring: Emergencies and When to Call 911
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
Get this eBook · $9.99All 10 eBooks + Ambassador membership · $49Home Care learners and Ambassadors: this series is included.Sign in to unlockAnswer Key
- B. Speech trouble — Face, Arm, Speech, Time.
- A. Make sure the scene is safe — You cannot help if you get hurt too.
- B. Call 911 — Chest pain is a 911 emergency. Follow the dispatcher.
- B. Treatment choices depend on it — Some stroke treatments depend on how long ago symptoms began.
- B. By the phone or where your agency says — Responders need the address, medicines and allergies fast.
Source: Home Care & Digital Caregiving, Force for Health Academy (2026). Mapped to 42 CFR 484.80 and AHCCCS Direct Care Worker Principles of Caregiving. Rules differ by state and agency: always follow your state's rules, your agency's policies and the client's care plan.
Keep caring: Emergencies and When to Call 911
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
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Each eBook pairs with a video lesson in the Force for Health Academy. Hands-on skills and competency checks are completed in person with an approved partner program.
theforce.health/home-care-pathway · FFH Virtual LibraryKeep caring: Emergencies and When to Call 911
The rest of this eBook — the scenario, practice check, skills lab list, care log and answer key.
Get this eBook · $9.99All 10 eBooks + Ambassador membership · $49Home Care learners and Ambassadors: this series is included.Sign in to unlock