Emergencies – Packing a GO Bag and a STAY Bag
Climate scientists now warn that weather emergencies may be the new normal, as climate change leads to heavier rains, stronger hurricanes, more tornadoes, and bigger wildfires. Planning ahead and preparing for the worst-case scenario are the best ways to stay safe before a disaster hits. During and after an emergency, it is important to stay calm. Even after an event, there may still be many dangers. Stay tuned to your local emergency station and follow the advice of trained professionals. While there are many things to plan for, your response to all of them is one of two things: stay at home or evacuate. Whenever possible, staying at home in your own environment and with your own emergency supplies is the best choice. Unless told to evacuate, avoid roads to allow emergency vehicles access. What you do next can save your life and the lives of others.
Set up a local personal support network, made up of individuals who will check on the person in your care in an emergency and give assistance if needed. Tell them where you keep your emergency supplies. Also, choose an out-of-town family contact, and make sure that everyone in your family knows who this person is and their phone number.
GO Bag Emergency Supplies
The GO bag is a portable kit that includes items you need to survive and to take with you if you suddenly have to leave your home. Store your GO bag in a place that is easy to grab, such as next to a door or in the trunk of your car. Prepare for year-round use: spring, summer, fall and winter and be sure it is sturdy and easy to carry. Update your emergency GO bag every six months. Replace items that will expire in the upcoming months such as food and medical supplies. Your GO bag should contain—
- Bottled water and food—Easy-to open cans or pop-top containers (at least a one-day supply).
- Personal sanitation—Moist wipes, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and incontinence supplies. Extra clothing.
- Medications—Prescription medication for a week and paper copies of your prescriptions.
- Small first-aid kit—Band aids, gloves, ointment, pain reliever [ibuprofen].
- Personal essentials—Extra pair of eyeglasses and/or hearing aid.
- Special needs family—Essentials for family members with special needs.
- Pets—Water, food, leash, waste bags.
- Flashlight, battery operated/ manual radio—Pocketknife, whistle.
- Copies of important documents—Identification, passport, medical insurance and Medicare cards, home and auto insurance information, bank and credit card account numbers: store all these in a waterproof bag.
- List of doctors and emergency contacts.
- Recent family photos for identification— Including your pets.
STAY-at-Home Emergency Supplies Kit
If you’ve already created a GO bag, you’ve got a head start on your STAY bag (or waterproof bin), because many GO bag items would be needed in a stay-at-home emergency. Think about the essential things you use on a daily basis and then add other important items. Being prepared means having your own food, water, cash, and other supplies to last for at least three days, and possibly much longer if you are in a remote or hard-to-reach area. The STAY bin does not need to be completed all at once.
- Water and Food—One gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation. If you live in a warm weather climate more water may be necessary. Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person.
- Personal hygiene—Moist wipes, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation and incontinence supplies. toothbrush and toothpaste, extra clothing.
- Medications—List of prescription medications, dosage, and allergies. If your prescription plan allows it, order an extra supply of your medications or ask your doctor for some free samples to have in case of an emergency—include at least a one-week supply of medications. Plan for medications that require refrigeration.
- First-aid kit—Bandages, hand sanitizer, gloves, ointment, pain reliever [ibuprofen], tweezers.
- Personal essentials—Extra eyeglasses and hearing-aid batteries, wheelchair batteries or other special equipment; label wheelchairs, canes and walkers.
- Special needs family—Essentials for family members with special needs.
- Pets—Water, food, leashes, portable bowls, crate, food and copies of veterinary records, in case you have to take your pets to a kennel while you stay in a shelter or hotel.
- Medical devices—List of the style and serial numbers of medical devices, such as pacemakers.
- Flashlight, head lamp, battery-operated radio—Fresh batteries (sizes AA, AAA, C, D), duct tape and a multipurpose tool or pocketknife, extra blankets, and a whistle.
- Copies of important documents—Identification, passport, medical insurance and Medicare cards, home and auto insurance information, bank and credit card account numbers: store all these in a waterproof bag.
- List of doctors and emergency contacts.
- Cellphone and charger—In case there is still electricity. A solar-powered charger for power outages. When Low Power Mode is on, your iPhone will last longer before you need to charge it, but some features might take longer to update or complete.
Taking Care of Yourself – How to Manage Frustration
It’s a fact of life: the people closest to us are the same ones who best know how to “push our buttons.” Feeling frustrated or resentful toward the people you live with, work with, or care for is a stressful and unhealthy situation, both for you and for others. Instead of letting negative feelings “simmer” or, worse, giving in to angry or unkind words and actions, take a time out to be grateful for the very people who can drive you nuts. The people in our lives are there because we value and appreciate them. Every time you’re tempted to wish them out of your life, imagine losing all the good they bring into your life as well as the “bad.” Let a feeling of gratitude fill you and frustration evaporates.
Source: Happiness in this World; www.happinessinthisworld.com
Memory Care –Special Needs
It is important for caregivers to have a disaster plan that includes the special needs of people with Alzheimer’s, whose impairments in memory and reasoning severely limit their ability to act appropriately in crises.
Safety Tips – What If You Are Delayed or Injured
If you are responsible for the regular care of another person, what happens if you can’t be there? An accident or medical emergency can happen to anyone, at any time. It is important that emergency personnel (police, fire department and/or emergency room professionals) know that you are a caregiver and that someone is counting on you for their health and safety.
To ensure the well-being of the person you care for, always carry an emergency ID card in your wallet that identifies you as a caregiver.
On the card, list the name and location of the care recipient; your relationship to the person; an alternative caregiver or family member and their phone number; additional information on the person’s medical condition and needs; and a message indicating whether the person in your care is OK to be left alone. Place an emergency ID card on your refrigerator with the same information. Paramedics are trained to look at the refrigerator for information about you.
Caregiver Lending Library
The Caregiver Lending Library is a resource for any individual who is a caregiver or is interested in learning more about current issues and challenges that caregivers may face. Items that may be borrowed at no cost include books, DVDs, CDs, Conversation Cards, and Activity Books, and Workbooks. The requested items will be mailed with a postage-paid envelope for return to the Caregiver Lending Library. Contact dhambel@buckeyehills.org or 1-800-331-2644 Ext. 2620.