The Connecticut chapter of The Alzheimer's Association has issued a press release with helpful information and suggestions in riding out Hurricane Sandy with a person suffering from Alzheimer's.
Disaster situations, such as a hurricane, tornado or forest fire, can have a significant impact on everyone's safety, but they can be especially upsetting and confusing for individuals with dementia
Make an emergency plan.
As part of your plan, prepare an emergency kit (See Section Below)
Take specific needs into account.
For example, if the person with Alzheimer's or other dementia uses a walker or portable oxygen, be sure your emergency evacuation plans accommodate these needs.
If an individual lives in a residential facility, learn about its disaster/evacuation plans. Find out who is responsible for evacuating the person in the event of an emergency.
Identify those who will help you.
Are there friends or relatives you can stay with if you have to evacuate? If the person receives routine health procedures at a clinic or with home health, who are the back-up service providers? Have contact information easily accessible.
Learn how to get prescriptions and care.
Download Medicare's Getting Care and Drugs in a Disaster Area. It explains how Medicare beneficiaries have special rights to get out-of-network care if they live in an area where the President has declared a disaster.
Consider enrolling the person in a safety program.
The Alzheimer's Association offers programs designed to assist in the return of those who get separated from their caregivers, MedicAlert®+ Alzheimer's Association Safe Return®, and that manage a person's location, Comfort Zone® and Comfort Zone Check-In®.
Make sure medical records are accessible.
It's important to have access to health records, especially in the case of an emergency. There are now many options for storing personal health records, including online services that make it possible to access records from anywhere in the world. Regardless of how you choose to store personal health information, make sure there are people other than the primary caregiver who have access to or copies of the person with dementia's medical history, medications, physician information and family contacts.
Prepare an emergency kit
Being prepared in case of an emergency is crucial. Put together an emergency kit in a watertight container, and store it in an easily accessible location.
Copies of important documents, such as legal papers, a list of medications and dosages, and insurance information
Several sets of extra clothing
Extra medication
Incontinence products
Identification items, such as a MedicAlert®+ Alzheimer's Association Safe Return® ID bracelet and clothing labels
A recent picture of the person with dementia
Bottled water
Flashlight with extra batteries
Favorite items or foods
Help Is Available
The American Red Cross website offers information about preparing for an emergency and where to find shelter and supplies in a disaster.
The National Hurricane Society provides hurricane alerts and tips to prepare for a hurricane.
Ready.gov has information about what to do before, during and after a disaster.
Read more: http://www.alz.org/care/alzheimers-dementia-disaster-preparedness.asp#help#ixzz2APxZBglD
