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| “The Caregiver’s Home Emergency Survival List!” |
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| Health |
| Written by Clarissa F. Smith, Ph.D., OTR/L |
| Wednesday, 30 December 2009 13:31 |
 An elderly woman asked me the other day what she should store in her home in case of a city-wide community emergency. If you are a caregiver, taking care of someone sick, you need to be prepared at all times. As a caregiver myself, I use the below list as a start. Consider the following items to have stored at home: 1. Your medicine. That’s the very first thing to be sure you have when you are under a doctor’s care. 2. Your important documents. Keep your will, advance directive, your insurance papers, your property documents, and anything having to do with vital records and personal information in a safe fire retardant place, preferably behind lock and key. You don’t want to be digging for those items in the dark. 3. Can goods. At least have a three to seven day supply. Include meats, fruits, and vegetables. Stock them separately from the other items in the cupboard. 4. Bottled water. I know this is controversial, but at least several cases and about 10 jugs. 5. Charcoal. If you have no heat or no where to cook, you can use grill your meat and vegetables outside. 6. Lighter fluid and matches. This will be necessary to start a fire especially for people like me who are not “camp” or “mountain” literate. I don’t want to be rubbing rocks together if I don’t have to. 7. Flashlights. Add batteries to that list. You need no less than three or four extra – ones for various parts of the home such as the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and door entrances. 8. Extra batteries. It is a good idea to always have extra batteries on hand for emergencies. 9. Blankets. Several extra sets and sheets are necessary particularly in colder weather. 10. Extra pillows. Try having big ones, medium-sized ones, and small ones. 11. Seasonal clothing. Older people are sometimes cold even in the summer time. 12. First Aid Kit. At least one and add a blood pressure cuff to the list. 13. Small AM & FM portable radio. This is needed just in case the power is off. The radio portion also allows you to listen to the weather and music. 14. Bags of ice. If your power goes off suddenly, all of your meat can spoil. Keep at least two bags of ice in a deep freezer or refrigerator. 15. Ice chest. You will need a large one for the bags of ice. Two will not hurt especially if you have a lot of meat or water you want to keep cold for a few hours. 16. Portable cellular telephone. A pre-paid one and a card are just fine. Get both a wall and car charger. 17. Extra diapers and pads. At least two extra boxes. 18. Adult-sized wipes and wash cloths. If you buy them in bulk, it’s cheaper. 19. Case of protein drinks. At least three cases is a start. 20. Non-scented soap. Pick something without too much fragrance and hand sanitizer. Happy Holidays to you and your family! Clarissa Fells Smith, is also known as The Caregiving Doctor®. She is an author and family caregiving expert. She has published over 20 books and a kid’s caregiving series. She is a state representative for The National Family Caregivers Association. Listen to her radio show, “The Caregiving Doctor Show,” on Heaven 610 WAGG, Thursdays and Fridays, from 2-3 p.m. and WERC Talk Radio 105.5 F.M. on Saturdays from 4-5 p.m. Readers may contact her at: www.caregivingdoctor.com , thefamilycaregiver.org., or at 1-877-CAREGIVER. |
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