SENIOR 911 - SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS POSE PARTICULAR THREAT TO SENIORS

Americans will long remember the natural disasters that in recent years have ravaged the Gulf Coast - Hurricane Katrina being chief among them - but in fact, Mother Nature's fury can strike anywhere in North America at virtually any time of the year.  Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, power outages, floods and blizzards are no respecters of age or economic status.

And when catastrophe comes calling, seniors and family caregivers are among the most vulnerable, according to the American Red Cross.  "We saw firsthand during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita how seniors could be at greater risk than other demographic groups," said Victoria Melvin, the organization's Preparedness Expert.  "But it's not just hurricanes.  Natural disasters impact seniors and their families in various ways throughout the country each year," she added.

At the local level, we know that a disaster can be deadly for some seniors because of physical and other limitations.  That's why we're always ready to help clients prepare for any emergency that might threaten their health or safety.  Our non-medical CAREGivers work with seniors in their homes to help keep them independent - as well as assisting them in times of crisis.

Consider these recent examples from across the U.S.:

• A CAREGiver in Indiana rode out a killer tornado with a senior in the client's home, comforting her until the danger passed.
• When a massive blizzard hit Colorado, a CAREGiver traversed dangerous streets to make sure an older adult had everything she needed to survive.
• A Home Instead Senior Care franchise owner and his team of CAREGivers canvassed the city checking on senior clients when a blackout shut down New York City.
• And during Hurricane Katrina, a Home Instead CAREGiver drove a client with Alzheimer's disease - with the permission of the client's family - to Georgia for two weeks to escape the onslaught of the storm. 

Long-distance family caregivers - those whose loved ones live hundreds of miles away - may be at a particular disadvantage when it comes to preparing their seniors for disaster, or being there to help.  That's when our professional CAREGivers can be particularly crucial.  In Melvin's words, "Regardless of whether they have family close by or not, seniors and their caregivers are at increased risk in a disaster if they've not made a plan." 

In a Kaiser Foundation Family Poll conducted in September 2005 (just after Hurricane Katrina) at the Astrodome and other large facilities in Houston, nearly half of those surveyed (45 percent) said they didn't leave New Orleans for one of two reasons: either they were physically unable to go or they were caring for someone who couldn't leave. 

"We believe that seniors were most affected during the storm," Melvin said.  She explained that figures from the 2000 census indicated - before the hurricane, 54,000 people in the city of New Orleans self-reported having a long-lasting condition that made dressing, bathing and getting around their home difficult - and those individuals are often seniors.  More than 107,000 said that they had a condition that substantially limited basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying.  The hurricanes were a stark reminder of the toll that disasters can take on unprepared seniors."

So, Melvin explained that advance preparation is a key to ensuring that local seniors are ready for the unexpected, saying that, "The best protection for seniors and caregivers is to take action now to prepare for an emergency and make a plan of action long before any emergency arises."

Family and other caregivers play a critical role in this process.  The main thing for seniors and their families to do is assess what a senior would need in the event of a disaster.  If this individual is likely to require additional assistance, then these family members and others should identify a team - a personal support network - of neighbors, relatives and friends who will help.  The team members then should organize their emergency response plan to account for every place they might be during the day or the week, such as a library or community center.

Communication after a disaster strikes should be a vital component of such a plan.  According to Melvin, "The local telephone lines often are overloaded in a disaster, 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 O.K."