Natural Disaster Preparedness For Seniors

June is National Disaster Preparedness Month, so here are some quick tips to make sure you and your parents are ready for the inevitable unplanned natural disaster. This is especially important for elderly Americans, many of whom have difficulty getting out of the house.

What’s worse, less than 25% of elderly individuals have a disaster preparedness plan according to one study. Here are some helpful tips for keeping elderly parents safe during natural disasters.

Make sure to have an emergency supply kit ready as well as a personalized emergency plan including where they will go in the case of a natural disaster, what they should bring with them including medications, eyeglasses, hearing aids and extra batteries as well as assistive technologies, how they will get there and who they should call for help.

Adults should focus on natural disasters likely to occur in the area. It is also a good idea to have three days’ worth of canned meals for natural disasters and develop a family meeting place and communication plan.

Try to include pets in the plan. Generally this means getting pets to a local rescue or care facility, so they can be properly cared for or euthanized. Be aware that most shelters do not allow animals to come in.

If you have an elderly parent who may have difficulty leaving lifetime possessions in the case of a disaster, talk with them beforehand and make sure they know that the risk of dying is too great to stay behind. Try also to make sure that they are aware of the protocols of being evacuated by emergency responders to make them feel safer if they need to be evacuated as this will make them feel safer and more comfortable in this instance.

Some older adults go to shelters when they need to evacuate an area or find safety after a disaster. These shelters offer meals, personal hygiene items and first aid but do not keep pets. Many seniors also find these shelters to be difficult and seniors with dementia often find them to be overwhelming, overcrowded and unwelcoming.

If the parents need medical help, know the location of special needs shelters. In many cases when disasters can be predicted such as in the case of a flood or tornado, government sets up shelters for adults who are medically dependent and need medical care.

Be advised however that even though these shelters are often staffed by medical professionals, most of these shelters require that seniors to supply their own medical equipment and caregivers. This is a last resort for seniors who cannot get out of the area.

After a disaster, attempt to check up with senior parents and make sure they have food, water, medications and are coping well with any complications from natural disasters.

One of the biggest problems for seniors in the case of natural disasters is a continued requirement for medical treatment. Upon admission for services, all BrightStar clients are given a priority code that determines agency response in the case of natural disaster.

These forms are filed with the appropriate agency and maintained in the patient’s medical record.

Priority code #1 indicates that a client requires assistance to leave home in an emergency situation. In this case, efforts will be made to aid in evacuation and a family member or designee will be contacted.

Code # 2 suggests that evacuation can occur by the senior on his or her own.

If care is medically necessary, BrightStar will do everything possible to locate a caregiver for the client and make sure personal care needs are met.

In extreme cases, when a caregiver cannot be located for clients because of the disaster, the local disaster authority will be contacted to help provide care. BrightStar also maintains a disaster plan to be activated in the event of any natural or other disaster. For more information on BrightStar’s emergency preparedness plan, contact BrightStar Healthcare.

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