One important aspect of senior home safety is an emergency plan. For weather emergencies like hurricanes, floods, and snowstorms they need to have a plan in place to get to safety or ride out the aftermath of the emergency. There also needs to be an emergency plan in place for things like fires.
Seniors may not move as fast as they used to, so the emergency exit plan that seniors have had for years may not work for them as they get older. Seniors who have mobility challenges or who use mobility aids like a walker or cane also need to take into account their mobility when creating an emergency plan. If your senior loved one doesn’t have an emergency plan use these tips to help them create a plan they can use to get out of any emergency safely:
Identify Two Different Exits
Seniors who have two story homes should always have at least two different exit points in an emergency. There should be one on each floor. Seniors who have a one-story home should have an exit point at the front of the house and one at the back in case one of the exit points is not accessible. Before choosing the exit points think about your senior loved one’s unique needs and how they would be able to get out of those using those exits on their own if their senior home care provider or family members were not around.
Make Sure Everyone Knows The Plan
Senior Home Care in Redington Beach FL
Once an emergency plan has been created you need to write it down and make sure that everyone, including the senior home care providers who come into the home, know the plan and know what to do in an emergency. Drill a few times with your senior loved one and their senior home care providers to make sure that everyone know the plan and knows how to get out of the exits. Holding emergency drills may seem like a lot but in an emergency it can save your senior parent’s life if they executed the plan and feel comfortable with it.
Post A Copy Of The Emergency Plan
You should keep a copy of the emergency plan with other important documents and also post one either on the fridge, next to a door, or in another highly visible place. Print it in very large font and laminate it so that it’s easy for your senior loved one to read even if they are panicked or upset because there is an emergency happening. It’s also a good idea to make sure that the senior home care provider has a copy of it so that they can be familiar with it.
Don’t Forget The Pets
If your senior loved one has pets don’t forget to include them in the emergency plan. Your senior loved one could lose valuable escape time looking for a pet or trying to make sure their pet is ok if there isn’t an evacuation plan included in the emergency plan for the pet.
If You Or An Aging Loved One Are Considering Hiring Senior Home Care in Redington Beach, FL, Please Contact The Caring Staff At Assisting Hands Home Care Today! 727-748-4211.
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Becky Moultrie is Owner and Administrator of Assisting Hands Home Care Serving Pinellas. Guided by a motto to Do Good with Love, she’s well positioned to do just that at Assisting Hands. She has a passion for helping families keep seniors and those who are diabled happy and healthy at home. She serves on a number of boards in Pinellas County including the Pinellas Park Gateway Chamber and Better Living Seniors (BLS), leading the Membership Committee. Annually, she hosts a Silver Santa Party, collecting donations for nearly 100 low income seniors in the county. She attends Blessed Sacrament Church, Seminole where she is an Ascribed Member of the Rosminian Order. When not busy Doing Good in the community, Becky is at home with her husband David & their 4 children, tending to their beehives and digging in the garden.
