November 8, 2024
Preparing for emergencies is something that every family needs to do. Seniors have special needs, however, making this an even bigger task. This means figuring out how to handle natural disasters, health crises, home emergencies, and more. For seniors with special needs, these plans can feel impossible to put together, but home care providers can be a huge help.
Smartphones hold a lot of information these days, but when the power is out or there are other challenges during an emergency that might make accessing that data difficult. Having a written list of emergency contacts is portable and is readily available whether there’s power or not. Taking the time monthly or quarterly to update that list helps ensure it’s accurate.
It’s also really important to have an up-to-date list of medical information and medications for seniors. This helps family members, but it also helps elder care providers and emergency personnel who might need to know about health issues and medications. These lists can also be helpful when seniors see multiple healthcare providers and need to make sure that everyone is on the same page.
Some seniors rely on medical devices that require electricity in order to make life easier or even to breathe. Letting the power company know that seniors have specific needs and should be considered priority customers during outages is important, but that doesn’t always solve the problem. Battery-powered versions of essential equipment or a generator might be important investments in case the power goes out.
Severe weather is only one reason seniors need a solid evacuation plan. The right plan includes transportation information, evacuation routes, and lists of essential items. It’s also a good idea to put together an emergency kit with medical records, a change of clothes, water, non-perishable food, extra medications, and important documents. Let home care providers know where this kit is stored and where to find evacuation plans so that they can be prepared, too.
Another type of emergency to prepare for is a health emergency. Some seniors may be more prone to specific issues, like a seizure. Some of the other issues to prepare for might be falls, strokes, or heart attacks. Talk to medical providers and determine what to do in a health emergency so that seniors can be as prepared as possible for these situations.
Natural disasters, like hurricanes or wildfires, present some unique difficulties for aging adults. Preparing for these events involves developing plans for both sheltering in place and evacuating. Be sure to post any disaster plans in a place that is easily accessible for seniors as well as home care providers.
Emergency preparedness for seniors means looking at a variety of possible issues and putting as many proactive plans in place as possible. Home care services can help families to do some of this planning, ensuring that families look at all of the possible variables that could arise.
