Prepping Your Assisted Living Facility for Hurricane Season
Hurricanes are potentially deadly events, both during and after, especially for the elderly. Even though our assisted living and long-term care facilities have been preparing for these events for many years, both Irma and Matthew were difficult to overcome.
During our most recent hurricane season, many assisted living and skilled nursing homes lost their power. This, combined with our frail Florida population and the combination of heat and dehydration proved to be deadly. As a precaution for this upcoming hurricane season, a new law and rule regarding emergency power was passed by the AHCA. The requirements to meet this law and rule can be found at:
ahca.myflorida.com/MCHQ/Health_Facility_Regulation/Assisted_Living
Atkinson’s Pharmacy is also prepping for the upcoming season, and we advise you do the following in case of emergency.
In preparation for a storm:
1. Check on all residents’ medications. Insurance companies will allow us to fill items early due to the storm.
2. If you are evacuating- give us a contact name and number so we can continue to provide what you and your residents need.
For those of us, who work in this industry, it is a stressful time, not only for the residents we care for but also for our families and homes. As we roll through our 2018 hurricane season preparing and practicing for the worse, we will continue to hope for the best. Part of the challenge as professional caregivers, we put others first and many times, neglect to care for ourselves. But a little preparation can help protect all of us.
Hurricane checklist for caregivers:
- Secure medications for yourself and your family
- Have cash available in-case power goes out
- Fill up your vehicle’s gas tank as early as you can.
- Have a plan in place for sheltering your pets.
- Video or photograph current furnishings – take insurance and other important documents with you.
- Consider using social media to update family members in other areas – frequently cell towers are down, or lines are overloaded.
- Stock plenty of non-perishable food items and paper products
- Weather the storm with something to entertain your children, pets and even yourself.
- If asked to evacuate, leave sooner, rather than later.
Be safe everyone!
-Donna