On Monday, I attended the White House Conference on Aging “Solutions Forum” held in West Palm Beach and was truly impressed with the dedicated and qualified people who are working hard to serve the seniors in that community.  One of the many things I found impressive was the amount of reflection that has gone into their emergency plans after being hit by a series of hurricanes last year.  They were honest to a fault about what should have been done better and seem to be working on solutions for coming years.   

As we will find in the weeks and months to come after Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, there is much to learn after any disaster.    One attendee at yesterday’s forum told me of an area Alzheimer’s care facility which released residents back to their homes before a major hurricane struck the area with many of these residents being returned to elder spouses who could no longer care for them.   It is vital for any caregiver with a loved one in a Long Term Care facility, no matter where you live, to understanding what is contained within the facility’s disaster plan. 

According to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (http://www.jcaho.org) some of the important questions to ask a facility are: “Does the organization have an emergency plan in case of a power failure or a natural disaster? In an emergency, can the organization provide care or make arrangements for care to be provided?”  The plan must take into consideration all possible emergencies of significance to the area (earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes).    

If your loved one lives in the community, you should also have a plan in place for their safety and well-being in case of an emergency.  http://www.caregiver.com/articles/general/before_its_too_late.htm

The world has a lot to learn from caregivers and I guess we have a little to learn from the Boy Scouts message to always “Be Prepared”.  

 

 

Gary Barg
Editor-in-Chief
gary@caregiver.com