Nursing Home disaster plan Archives ⋆ Cathy Cress

Warning- close your family floodgates as New Orleans closed theirs after Hurricane Issac and Katrina.

September’s catastrophic disaster with Hurricanes Irma and Harvey hitting near the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina should conjure up a midlife sibling nightmare. It brings back the now recurring goblins of Katrina -the most gruesome weather cataclysm where 39 elderly residents died, trapped or abandoned in retirement centers and 1400 elder overall died in Katrina’s watery wrath.We just plunged into the horror again with Irma where, so far 8 elderly have died, with criminal charges pending and new regulations by the governor, after he was accused of not responding to calls from the facility. On Irma’s heels with now have Maria and Jose, which should terrify adult children enough to take emergency action to protect their parents.

This recent confluence of hurricane deaths and hurricanes looming right now, should be a deafening shout to you and your midlife siblings that you need to convene a midlife sibling disaster plan family meeting to protect any aging family members-, no matter where your elderly parents live or what level of care. You need that disaster plan because older people are more likely to die in catastrophes than any other population. As I pointed out in my last blog, just because they are in a facility – they are not safe– in fact, Katrina and Irma tell us perhaps they are more in peril.

So before Maria or another hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood, or any disaster hits, you need to have a midlife sibling family meeting to come up with a disaster plan for aging family members. I posted this a week ago but after Irma ‘s carnage, I have revised my list

What would be the agenda of that midlife sibling disaster family meeting?

If your loved ones are in a FACILITY- do not trust the facility to handle the situation. Look at what just happened in Irma.

1)Get a copy of the facilities disaster and evacuation plan.Compare it to state regulations. If it does not include calling the family before the disaster, consider moving your loved one or make sure that is changed.

2)Appoint a sibling to be in charge of reading the disaster evacuation plan and be the contact person.

3)Call your state facility licensing body and find out the state regulations to see if they match the facilities- CCRC, Assisted Living or Nursing Home

4) Have a telephonic family meeting before the disaster if possible

5) make sure the state requires backup generators for heat and air conditioning- a flaw in Florida’s regulations in Irma

If the loved one is LIVING AT HOME alone or with an adult child.

1) Create a disaster plan for the older person. This would map out what each sibling and family member needs to do

2) Create a disaster team. This would include every adult siblings all over the country, family nearby, caregivers and neighbors.

4) Include someone on the team who can carry heavy objects like wheelchairs.

5) Name a substitute caregiver if the regular one can’t get there.

6) Make an evacuation plan for your aging family member’s house. Where is the nearest Red Cross shelter

7) What disaster supplies do you do you have on hand? Get list from your local Red Cross

8)Find out how many people do you need to make the move to safety or a shelter?

9) Put all of the above in writing.

10) Share a copy your disaster plan with everyone. E-mail copies to everyone on the family disaster team including all adult siblings, neighbors and friends.

11) Get everyone’s agreement especially midlife siblings and the older person. Be a unified disaster team.

12 ) Call a geriatric care manager to manage the plan or help you create it with your elderly parents, if you live long distance. They can do the heavy lifting, can help moderate a family meeting- can research state laws, be there in a disaster immediately, create and implement a disaster plan for your parent, that you approve and can be part of.

Professionals check out the chapter “ Preparing for Emergencies” in my Handbook of Geriatric Care Management fourth edition,

Professionals Check out my book Care Managers Working With the Aging Family, Jones and Bartlett, with its chapter on Family Meetings and the Aging Family by Rita Ghatak, director of Stanford’s Aging Program.

Eight older people just died in a Florida Nursing Home after Hurricane Irma ravaged Florida. Their deaths appear to be from extreme heat when their backup generator failed air conditioners after 1/2 of Florida’s power has not been restored. It is at present a criminal investigation.Now all Florida nursing homes are being inspected

This points to two disaster preparedness steps I suggest —-first to families of elders and second for professionals.

Alert to families, even if your loved one is in s skilled nursing home or assisted living, don’t assume they are safe. Know when you place them (and update each year), the facility disaster’ and evacuation plan. Make sure before you choose a facility this complies with state codes.Call The state Ombudsman.

As Irma approached, I suggested to a friend here in California, that she find out her parents Florida Assisted Living facility, disaster, and evacuation plan. They lived in an independent apartment in a CCRC. The Dad is 98 and the Mom 96.

Mom is mid-state Alzheimer’s and Dad is mentally clear but frail. My friend had never thought about a disaster plan even with a looming hurricane that would envelop the entire state.

As the Monster cat 5 hurricane approached, she thought her parents in safe hands in a what she termed a ” great” facility. When she called, her contact at the facility was in Rhode Island, which I thought strange in a disaster like a hurricane. Since her parents lived in an independent apartment, the contact told her they had to make their own arrangements. There had been a meeting telling residents how to prepare but, she had no idea if the Dad had was at the meeting.

I was floored. The family knew nothing about this disaster preparedness meeting. The Dad was 98. What was the evacuation plan, did they have safety supplies – like flashlights days of food, water? My friend was in California.

Here is the moral to the story.

My advice to any family with a loved one in a facility of any kind, do not just assume your elders are safe. Get a copy the facility emergency plan, evacuation plan, know that they will contact you and if not why (in the case of my friend they said folks in independent living were in charge of their own emergency plans. )Make this a check off in shopping for a facility for loved ones. Global warming has brought an increase in these mega disasters and no matter where your parent resides they are vulnerable to earthquake, flood tornado, hurricane, polar vortex or fire – it is not if but a big when you need to do this.

For professionals –have this information on file about any facility a client is placed. Make sure they adhere to state laws, update it each year and if it does not make sense to you, do not use them.

For more information, the University of Florida, Home of Disaster filled hurricanes has a great set of directions.

Call a geriatric care manager to manage the plan if you live long distance and make sure the facility is inspected and safe in a disaster.

Professionals check out the Preparing for Emergencies-chapter in Handbook of Geriatric Care Management fourth edition, by Liz Barlowe on Disaster planning

Why Did Eight Elders Die in a Nursing Home in Florida & What is the Moral of the Horror Story?

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