The wave of devastating tornadoes in neighboring Tennessee and severe weather in Kentucky are reminders that Mother Nature’s fury can strike anywhere at any time of the year.
Tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, power outages and floods are no respecters of age or economic status.
According to the American Red Cross and Home Instead Senior Care, when catastrophes strike, seniors and family caregivers are among the most vulnerable.
“We saw firsthand during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita how seniors could be at greater risk than other demographic groups,” said Victoria Melvin, Preparedness Expert for the American Red Cross.
Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of the 824 victims of Hurricane Katrina identified so far from the New Orleans area were older than 60, according to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. “But it’s not just hurricanes. Natural disasters impact seniors and their families in various ways throughout the country each year,” Melvin added.
“At the local level, we know that a disaster can be deadly for some seniors because of physical and other limitations,” according to David Owen, owner of Home Instead Senior Care in Owenton.
“That’s why we’re always ready to help seniors prepare for any kind of emergency that could threaten their health or safety.” Home Instead Senior Care, the nation’s largest provider of non-medical home care and companionship for seniors, hires non-medical “Caregivers” who go into seniors’ homes to help keep them independent as well as assist them in a time of crisis.
“Long-distance family caregivers, whose loved ones live hundreds of miles away, may be at a particular disadvantage when it comes to preparing their seniors for disaster and being there to help,” Owen added.
That’s when a professional caregiver can be particularly crucial. “Regardless of whether they have family close by or not, seniors and their caregivers are at increased risk in a disaster if they have not made a plan,” Owen said.
Advance preparation is a key to ensuring that local seniors are ready for the unexpected.
“The best protection for seniors and caregivers is to make a plan of action long before any emergency arises,” Owen said.
Family caregivers play a critical role in this process. “The main thing for seniors and families to do right away is assess what the senior would need in the event of a disaster,” Owen said. “If someone requires additional assistance they should identify a team — a personal support network — such as neighbors, relatives and friends, who will help,” he said.
“Seniors, their family and caregivers should organize that plan around every place they might be during the day or the week, such as a library or community center,” he noted.
The American Red Cross recommends that communication after a disaster strikes should be a vital component of such a plan. “The local telephone lines often are overloaded in a disaster,” Melvin said, “but long-distance lines may be working.
Seniors should always have an out-of-town contact number available to call after a disaster to let someone know they are OK,” she said.

10 ways for seniors to be prepared

The following are 10 ways that seniors, their families and caregivers can prepare for a natural disaster, according to Home Instead Senior Care and the American Red Cross.
1. Be informed. Contact the local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter to learn about the most likely natural disasters to strike your area.
2. Complete a personal assessment. A senior should determine what he or she can or can’t do before, during and after a disaster. Make a list of those needs and resources that can meet them.
3. Make a plan. Schedule a family meeting to assess your needs in an emergency and develop a plan of action. Include in your plan key people in your life — such as neighbors, friends, relatives and professional caregivers — who could help. Remember to include pets in your plan.
4. Know where to get information during an emergency, either through the local television, radio or NOAA weather radio. Have available a battery-operated radio. Different alarms are available to notify people with medical conditions of impending disaster, such as a strobe alarm for the hearing-impaired.
5. Discuss multiple escape routes. Like all families and households, seniors should develop at least two escape routes, one out of their home in case of a fire when they need to get out of the home quickly and out of the area in case they need to evacuate their community. Designate a place to meet other relatives or key support network people outside the house, as well as a second location outside the neighborhood, such as a school or church. Practice the plan at least twice a year.
6. Know when to go or to stay and how to make the decision to stay or leave. When deciding to evacuate, older adults should go sooner rather than later. By waiting too long, they may be unable to leave if they require assistance from others.
7. Assemble a disaster supplies kit. Have an easy-to-carry kit with three days non-perishable food and water with an additional four days of food and water readily accessible at home. Have at least one gallon of water per person per day. Bottled water may be easier to store and carry.
8. Remember medications and other essentials. Copies of prescriptions, extra eye glasses and hearing-aid batteries, along with paper products such as toilet paper, should be part of your disaster supplies kit.
9. Make a list of contact telephone numbers. The list should include people on a senior’s support network as well as doctors and other important health-care professionals. Log on to www.redcross.org/contactcard for a sample contact card that can be used.
10. Call a professional caregiver if you or your loved one need extra help.

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