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With Irma’s Carnage- Do You Need a Midlife Family Meeting to do an Aging Parent Disaster Plan ?

September 18, 2017

 

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. 

Filed Under: Aging, Aging Family, Aging Life Care, aging life care manager, care manager, caregiver, case manager, elder care manager, Elderly Disaster Plan, Emergency Plan, Geriatric Care Management Business, Geriatric Care Manager, geriatric social worker, Jose, nurse advocate, nurse care manager, Nursing Home disaster plan, Siblings Tagged With: aging family, aging life care manager, aging parent care, aging parent crisis, care manager, case manager, disaster plan, disaster supplies, E Book on Family Meetings, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Isaac, Hurricane Jose, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Maria, New Orleans opens flood gates, older adults in a dsiaster, Red Cross, sibling, sibling disaster family meeting, sibling family meeting

With Irma’s Carnage- Do You Need a Midlife Family Meeting to do a Disaster Plan for Aging Parents?

August 28, 2012

 

Can you 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 be a midlife sibling nightmare. It brings back the now recurring nightmare of Katrina -the most gruesome weather catastrophes where  100 elderly residents died  trapped or abandoned in retirement centers.We just  plunged into the nighmare once again with  Irma, so far 8 elderly have died, with criminal charges pending. On Irma;’s heels with now have Maria which should scare adult children enough to take emergency action to protect their parents.

 

This should be a deafening shout to you and your midlife siblings that you need to convene a midlife sibling disaster plan family meeting for any aging family members-, no matter where your elderly parents live. You need a disaster plan because older people are more likely to die in disasters than any other population and 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 siblings disaster family meeting.

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

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) If elder family members are in a facility get the facilities disaster and evacuation plan. If it does not include calling the family considers moving your loved one or make sure that is changed. Appoint a sibling to be in charge of this and the contact person. Call your state facility licensing body and find out the state regulations to see if they match the facility- CCRC, Assisted Living or Nursing Home10) 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

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

Professional s 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 . 

Filed Under: Aging Tagged With: disaster plan, disaster supplies, E Book on Family Meetings, Hurricane Isaac, Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans opens flood gates, older adults in a dsiaster, Red Cross, sibling, sibling disaster family meeting, sibling family meeting

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Cathy Cress is the leading national expert in Aging Life and Geriatric Care Management. She is author of Handbook of Geriatric Care Management 4th edition, Jones and Bartlett, published 2015 and known as the bible of geriatric care management. Continue Reading >

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