As a family caregiver you put a considerable amount of time, energy, and effort into making sure that your senior stays safe and healthy as they age in place. You encourage them to eat a healthy diet, to stay active, and have even gone through their home to eliminate potential hazards and make meaningful modifications to support better mobility and accessibility and reduce risk of serious injury and accidents. It is important to remember, however, that your elderly parent faces challenges and risks beyond these, and that you should integrate other risks into your care plan to make sure that if any of these did arise, your parent, and you, would know how to respond as quickly and effectively as possible.

One such risk is severe weather. Serious weather situations can occur very suddenly and can put your senior at major risk. Being as informed as possible and helping your senior to be as informed as they can be can make a tremendous difference in your confidence facing these situations, as well as your parent’s ability to get through them as healthily, safely, and comfortably as possible.

An important element of awareness is understanding the terms that are used when discussing severe weather. Some that often cause confusion are “severe weather watch” versus “severe weather warning”. Knowing the difference between these two enables you to implement your plans when it is appropriate and minimize risks for your parent and for yourself.

A severe weather watch, whether it refers to a flood, thunderstorm, hurricane, tornado, high winds, or other event, means that this type of event is possible. The authorities will give a time period during which this even might occur, allowing you to start preparing, cancel plans, find shelter, and take other steps to protect yourself

A severe weather warning means that the specified severe weather event is already occurring or will begin imminently. This is the point at which you should mobilize your emergency preparedness plan, find shelter, and brace yourself for the event. Having a battery operated or hand crank radio available is important to being able to follow this information even if the power goes out so you know what to do at each stage.

If you have found that your aging parent’s needs are beyond what you feel that you can handle successfully and effectively, or you simply think that they would benefit from diversification of their care and support, starting elder care for them may be the ideal choice. An elderly home care services provider can create a highly customized approach to their care, support, assistance, and companionship to ensure that they get everything that they need to manage their individual needs while also pursuing a quality of life that is active, engaged, independent, and fulfilling as they age in place. This type of care is not just beneficial for those elderly adults who are struggling with extensive challenges, limitations, and health needs. Rather, the personalized services of an elder care provider can help even those seniors who are still healthy and active manage more of their care needs more effectively so that they are able to invest more time, energy, and effort into the things that they want to do. When it comes to helping your parent manage a severe weather situation, a care provider can help your senior develop an emergency response plan, go over the plan that you have made with them, review and practice elements of these plans, and be there for your parent to help them get through the situation in the way that is best for them, including providing emotional support and care afterwards to get them back to their normal life as soon as possible.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring elder care in Monroe, NJ or the surrounding areas, please call Independence Home Care today at 609-208-1111 for more information.

Source:  http://www.redcross.org/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/flood#About