Dear Heloise: My wife and I love your column, and we like to read and talk about every hint! Recently, a reader suggested putting critical medical information on your phone in case they need it at the doctor’s or at the hospital.

While that could be useful, it may not help you if you are incapacitated, which is a case where medical information can be even more critical. Most phones now have a way to safely store medical information on an application in your phone that medical personnel can access during an emergency.

Instructions vary by phone, but the process is very easy and works very well for the doctor’s. Hope that is helpful for your readers. Cheers. — Robert and Dorothea, via email

FALLING DOWN

THE STAIRS

Dear Heloise: A few years back, a good friend fell headfirst down his cellar stairs. He was seriously injured when his head hit the cement floor. As my laundry room is in the basement, I took the precaution of placing a thick piece of carpet at the bottom of the stairs.

Fast forward a couple of years, I was hurrying up the stairs with laundry in one hand, holding onto the stair rail with the other. But I misjudged the second step. The railing was smooth, and my hand just couldn’t keep the grip. I fell backward down the stairs, slamming my back into the wall.

While I have lived to tell about it, it surely could have been a lot worse. Now I have put a big, square, cushioned dog bed against the wall. We used some sandpaper to roughen up the railing, too. Perhaps these ideas will help to keep some others safe. — A Reader, via email

PET PAL

Dear Heloise: My 17-year-old cat, Elliot, has to be given steroids daily for the rest of his life, and pictured here is the face that I get after giving it to him. He sure has an attitude. I hope to see it in your column in The Reader in Duluth, Minnesota. Thank you. — Lorrie Carlson, via email

Readers, to see Elliot and our other Pet Pals, go to Heloise.com and click on “Pet of the Week.”