Preparing for Disasters

Planning for the 'what if's' is a wise thing to do. A disastercould happen to any one of us at any time. The Red Cross hasexcellent 'how to' plans outlined on their web site and eachlocal Red Cross office welcomes you to contact them for furtherassistance as you plan and prepare for a disaster. See The RedCrossAnother really good resource for preparing ahead for an unknownemergency or disaster is the National Safety Council - see National Safety CouncilBoth the Red Cross and the NSC make the suggestion to designatea contact person outside of the state that you live in. This isthe person that you and everyone in your family will call to'check in'. Think of this person as 'home base'. You could actually take this a step further and arm thedesignated contact person with vital information that couldactually ease some of the fears and frustrations of loosingvirtually everything you have to disaster. A software programhas been developed that is so easy to use and access that youwill want to at least take a look at it.An easy method to record and maintain vital records is throughthe software program called Life-Ledger. You record what medications youtake, the name of your doctor, what you are allergic to, whereyou've stored original documents such as; insurance policies,title to the home, health care directives and so forth. Yourcontact person is provided the password to access all or part ofthis private record.What if your mom lived alone in Florida and her community washit by the wrath of a hurricane? She was evacuated to a localhospital and in shock. The hospital learns that you are theadult daughter, the next of kin and contacts you.They will ask you what medications your mom is on, who herdoctor is, and other questions regarding her health status. Ifyou had the Life-Ledger you would simply provide thehospital with a password and they are able to print off all theinformation within seconds. This quick access to accurateinformation is just one of the many benefits of planning aheadby recording and then safely storing such details. If your loved one lives alone ....We receive most of our inquiry calls from the adult child. Inorder to properly assist the family we need to learn what themonthly income of the senior is, what assets there are, if thereis a Power of Attorney, if mom has pre-planned her memorialservice, what kind of medication, the attending physician, andso forth. We ask the same questions as any service will askprior to contracting with them.Nine times out of ten, the adult child does not know the answersto these questions. Many families are close guarded about their'personal information' and won't let their adult children in onthe facts. Yet, these family caregivers are taking on theresponsibility of trying to put together services for theirloved one. It is frustrating for this adult child.Gathering this information once and then keeping it updated withchanges is a wise thing to do. If you are working with yourparent's to prepare this information, you will appreciate thefact that once it's done, you don't have to ask them again. It'sanother reason why the Life-Ledger makes so much sense.If your loved one does live alone - or is dependent upon you foradvice and assistance, this is the perfect time to broach thesubject of disaster preparedness with him or her. Recent eventshave made this a topic of conversation and may be the 'in'you've been waiting for to discuss the what if's with a parentthat has been reluctant to your offering of help and advice.This is the opportune time to talk about all the other 'whatif's' Ask your mom or dad, 'What if (God -forbid) you had anaccident, a stroke or something else that left you unable tospeak for yourself?' This is the platform to begin discussinghealth care directives, power of attorney and other legaldocuments that would give you, the trusted adult child, thelegal right to speak on behalf of your mom or dad.Find out where the original documents (deed to the house,insurance policies, stocks, bonds, etc.) are stored andrecorded? Great resources to help you walk through this processsystematically with your mom and dad are in our Caregiver'sResource Page. The following are all Certified Senior ApprovedServices: Preparation of Legal Documents - guidedself-help all of the U.S In Ohio Attorney Mary Ann Thomas - Elder Law, Probate,Wills, Living Wills, Estate Planning Kevin Plank, Certified Financial Planner and Vicki Mannarino, CEBS Estate Planning,Elder Financial Advice, Long-term Care Health Insurance Do it Now, an organizational workbook that helpsyou help your loved one to organize important papers - all ofthe U.S. The Caregiver's Resource Kit - Empowersyou with education, information and 'how to's' - all of the U.S. Truce - a self-help book that showsyou how to handle conflicts within the family and broach thosesubjects with your loved ones' that are often times embroiledwith emotions Life-Ledger - a safe secure method to record andmaintain vital records (try it free for seven days - cancel anytime, no contracts) Complete Organizational Services - aservice that will help you organize - these folks are experts athelping seniors work through the daunting task of finding outwhat's stored in those boxes in the attic, garage and basement. Coming soon! For those of you that would like to advocate forsenior safety within your community - the Coalition for SeniorSafety Handbook is nearly ready for publication. This handbookprovides you with step-by-step instructions on how to form alocal community effort to help protect seniors against crime,abuse and to create a disaster preparedness program for yourcommunity. Be the first to learn of the release by going to Coalition for Senior Safety