Evaluating Your Parent's Risks during National Preparedness Month

Home Care in Leslie MI

Home Care in Leslie MIAs a family caregiver, one of the most important things that you can do for them is to make sure that they are properly prepared for potential emergencies or disasters so that they can get through these dangerous situations in the best way possible. September is National Preparedness Month. This is the ideal opportunity for you to evaluate how you and your parent have prepared for these potential issues and make any necessary changes to keep them safe and healthy.

Use these tips to help you evaluate your parent's risks and make care changes during National Preparedness Month:

• Understand the risks in your parent's area. Do some research to find out about the specific risks that impact your parent's area. While it is not possible to prepare for every single possibility or to always predict what might happen, understanding those risks that are most likely can help you to make your parent's preparedness plan as thorough as possible.

• Evaluate your parent's individual needs. Take the time to evaluate your parent's cognitive, physical, medical, and mobility needs and how they may impact their experience with emergency and disaster situations. This will help you to make the decisions that are right for your aging loved one so that you can feel confident that they are going to get through emergencies and disasters in the best way possible for their specific challenges. You may want to consider talking to their doctor about these concerns so that they can give you recommendations and suggestions for the best ways that you can make these preparations.

• Adjust their emergency kit. Once you have evaluated your parent's needs and determined how those will impact their ability to get through an emergency or disaster, make meaningful changes to their emergency kit to help them manage these needs in the best way possible. This can include making sure that they have medications available in their kit, that the foods you choose work with their challenges and restrictions, or that they have proper care, hygiene, or accessibility supplies available to help them handle their personal needs while going through the situation.

• Make their needs more visible. Contact local emergency relief organizations and talk to them about how you can ensure your parent's specific needs and challenges more apparent during an emergency. This can include stickers and signs that you post on your parent's door or window so that emergency personnel are aware of limitations and challenges such as Alzheimer's disease or mobility difficulties. This can help to ensure that your parent gets the level of attention, assistance, and care that they need in the event of a serious situation.

If your aging parent suffers from challenges or limitations that may impact their ability to get through an emergency or disaster situation, having home care in place can help you to feel more confident. An in-home senior care services provider can be with your parent to help ensure that the proper preparations are in place prior to an emergency or disaster, but also to help them actually manage the emergency situation should it occur.

Source
https://www.ready.gov/plan-for-your-risks

If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Leslie, MI, please contact the caring staff at Seniors Helping Seniors of Lansing. Call today: 517-332-9953.