Evacuation and Emergency Plans

With all of the fiascos in the news as of late, I am reminded of the importance of disaster planning for the elderly and disabled.  The recent explosion in West, Texas that devastated that little town left me in complete awe of their emergency response team.  Those wonderful folks were successful in evacuating an entire nursing home before it burned to the ground, among everything else they had going on.  Just within the past week we have had a devastating tornado go through Oklahoma and floods now occurring in San Antonio.  It is important to be sure your loved one has an emergency plan in place, even if they are living in a facility.  If they are in a facility, have the management go over what the protocol is for each state of emergency.  It is always best to keep important documents and family heirlooms in a safe deposit box if it is possible, but if that is not possible, I would advise investing in a coded fire safe box.  Also, in this box it is important that you keep a list of all current doctors, medications, and pertinent medical information, especially documents such as a living will, DNR, or power of attorney.

If your elderly loved one lives alone, please check all smoke and carbon minoxide alarms monthly.  Ensure that there is always more than one usable exit to the outside and that there are no trip hazards or fall risks in the pathway.  If your loved one is having difficulty with mobility and is still living at home, please be sure that a wheelchair could get out the door and away from the house.  You may need to look into a wheelchair ramp.  Many companies such as +Allumed and other mobility companies have removable handicap ramps that do not have to remain a permanent fixture to the home.  Make sure your loved one has easy access to a phone, hopefully with large lighted buttons, so during an emergency they can see to dial.  It may seem like overkill on a normal day, but in a smoky dark room it can be the difference between life and death.  

Aging Couples and Independent Living Options

One of the problems that may be encountered with aging couples is the decline of one spouse.  As an aging spouse begins to take on the role of caregiver for the ailing spouse, caregiving can become overwhelming.  We have discussed many options, but I would like to touch on Independent Living centers today.  The independent living option is more for the sanity and success of the caregiving spouse.  A community I have worked with in +Cedar Park, TX is +Lakeline Oaks, a subsidiary of the +Steve Mueller Lifestyle Resort Communities.  In this community residents have individual apartments with internal hallways, weekly maid service, three cooked meals served in the facility dining hall, planned daily activities, a privately contracted home health agency such as +Capitol Home Health on site, bank on site, gym, theater, privately contracted personal care services (such as my employer +ComForcare Home Care of Austin) available, bus transportation, and a doctor that provide weekly visits to the facility and has an office on site.  With all of these listed ammenities, the caregiver is relieved of much of the stress and isolation that occurs with caring for an ailing spouse.  Meals and meal planning are taken care of, basic housekeeping, having to get the spouse to appointments in town frequently, and the ability for both spouses to socialize is critically important.  In these type of facilities, the caregiving spouse is surrounded by a tightly knit community and support network.  As I have addressed in previous posts, isolation and depression for caregivers can be crippling and cause significant decline for the "well" spouse.