Emergencies and the Elderly
During the pst several years there have been an adbundance of natural disasters leading to widespread destruction, injury, and death. Fires cuased by persistent drought, floods, tornadoes, and earthquakes have brought about terrible consequences and demonstrated the need for all of us to be ready for natural disasters. Obviously, these events place elders at even greater risk, especially those who may suffer from chronic disease,s have limited mobility, or be dependent upon caregivers for daily support. The key to dealing with emergencies is to preparation and planning well before a disaster strikes. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers these suggestions:
Step 1 – Know the basics. Learn about the risks your particular community faces; know how to do things like turning off your gas and electricity; get to know your neighbors.
Step 2 – Have your emergency supplies ready. This includes items you would need to survive in your home until help arrives; it should also include a personal evacuation bag, partially packed and ready to go.
Step 3 – Make a personal plan. Many older persons have special needs relating to medications, medical equipment, mobility, and support services; making a personal emergency readiness plan increases the likelihood that essential needs will still be met, even in an emergency situation.
GETTING STARTED
Somewhere in your home you probably already have an emergency readiness checklist – one you’ve clipped out of the paper, or a family member gave you, or you downloaded off the Internet. A checklist can help you get started and know you’ve taken the steps you should be taking. The form we include as a supplement to Aging in Stride is attached and is also available as a free download at www.AgingInStride.org.
As our Checklist suggests, emergency preparedness for yourself or your loved one doesn’t have to be complicated. Think of it as a simple, threestep process.
STEP 1: KNOW THE BASICS
As we’ve all learned from years of experience, the first ingredient in preparing for almost anything is a little practical information. Start by learning what kinds of risks your community faces. Do you live on the Atlantic or Gulf Coast where hurricanes are a concern? Are you in an earthquake zone? What about tornadoes? Do you live near a nuclear power plant or chemical storage complex? Knowing what risks you face will help you prepare. If disasters that strike with little or no warning (such as earthquake, tsunami, or tornado) are a risk for your community, you’ll want to know exactly what to do as your first response. These days, information on emergency planning for your community should be easy to find. Search on the Web; stop by the library or city hall; or ask at your area’s emergency management agency or fire department.
Our Checklist suggests you test your readiness by asking – and being able to answer – these questions:
❏ If there were an evacuation order, what is the recommended route from where you live? If you don’t drive, what are your transportation options? Where is the nearest emergency shelter?
❏ Where are the shut-off valves for your household utilities (gas, electricity, water)? Do you know how to use them? If they take a special tool, is it kept right there, ready to use?
❏ In an emergency, local phone service may be down for an extended period. Have you designated someone out-of-area as your emergency contact? Do your loved ones know who your emergency contact will be?
❏ Neighbors helping neighbors can be critical in an emergency. Do you know your neighbors? Do they know you and any special needs you may have?
STEP 2: HAVE YOUR EMERGENCY SUPPLIES READY
Being ready for an emergency means having the supplies you would need.
There are two aspects to this: First, your “stay at home” supplies. These are the things you would need to survive safely in your home until help can arrive. In a major disaster, this can mean several days or perhaps even a week or more. For planning purposes, you need to assume you would be without power and would not be able to go out for food or water. Your household emergency supplies should include:
❏ enough water to last 3 to 6 days (recommended quantity: one gallon per person per day.)
❏ food – also enough for 3 to 6 days – consisting of high energy items that won’t spoil and don’t require cooking
❏ flashlight
❏ portable radio
❏ spare batteries
❏ first aid kit
❏ hand-operated can opener
❏ some light sticks (Along with your flashlight and spare batteries, these are a safe, inexpensive alternative to candles. Remember, any open flame in a post-disaster situation requires extreme caution, since the fire department will have its plate full and may not be able to respond quickly, or at all.)
❏ waterproof matches
❏ a 3 to 6 day supply of your prescription medications, together with an up-to-date list of the medications you’re taking
❏ cell phone, if you have one
❏ some cash or travelers’ checks
❏ your emergency contact list, including the names, phone numbers, and email addresses you would want to have and be able to give aid workers in an emergency.
Second, your “evacuation bag.” These are the things you would need to have for a safe evacuation, if that became necessary. Your evacuation bag should be a backpack or travel bag, preferably one that rolls, that has room for many of the items listed above and that is pre-packed with the following items:
❏ basic personal hygiene items, such as toilet paper, alcohol wipes, and gel hand sanitizer
❏ extra pair of prescription glasses
❏ change of clothing
❏ compact rain slicker
❏ good pair of walking shoes
❏ blanket or sleeping bag
❏ bottle or two of water, some breakfast bars, and some hard candy
❏ some disposable dust masks
❏ a copy of both your emergency contacts list and your current medications list.
Remember, the goal here is to give yourself a margin of preparedness to see you through until help can arrive, or to get you safely through an evacuation. So, think about what other items you might need, given your situation.
For example, if you have a car and would expect to use it if you had to evacuate, you’ll want to keep the gas tank at least half or even threequarters full. This will be a bit inconvenient, because you’ll need to fill your tank twice as often; but that clearly beats worrying about running out of fuel in a real emergency! And if you own a pet, you’ll want to add an extra supply of pet food to your list. Again, this just means getting in the habit of buying it at least a week or two before you run out. Keep in mind, by the way, that most emergency shelters do not allow pets, unless they are service animals, such as a seeing eye dog.
STEP 3: MAKE A PERSONAL PLAN
You’ve gathered the information you need. You’ve pulled together the emergency supplies you should have on hand. You’re ready, right? Not quite. The third step – and for many, the most important – is to make a personal emergency response plan. What special needs do you have? And how will they be met in an emergency?
No one knows your situation better than you. So, you are in the best position to plan ahead. If you have limited mobility or are disabled, you may be able to register with your local fire department or office of emergency services for special assistance. If you use an electric wheelchair or scooter, consider keeping your old, unpowered model around for emergency use.
If you are receiving health care services at home, ask your home health provider about emergency procedures. For example, if you depend on electric power for home dialysis or infusion, you’ll want to know your options for temporary emergency power or, in the case of home infusion, you may want to discuss having a back-up drip system.
If you live in a retirement community, assisted living facility, or adult family home, learn about emergency planning and procedures. How will you be kept informed? What will the facility or community expect of you and your fellow residents?
This is personal planning. But that doesn’t mean doing it all on your own. If you can, work through the checklist with a family member or friend. Chances are they’ll jump at the opportunity; and it will be a good reminder for them to be ready, as well.
NOTE:
The FEMA website includes a 204-page booklet to help you
prepare for specific emergencies (www.fema.gov/areyouready).
The site also offers information on assisting people with
disabilities during a disaster (www.fema.gov/rrr/assistf.shtm)
Photo:http://www.flickr.com/photos/koschi/193402564/sizes/m/in/photostream/
