Human nature, it seems, is that when you “should” do something, you don’t, you put it off. For example, I “should” test the batteries in my smoke detectors. But I can guarantee that I won’t until the alarm starts chirping at 2 o’clock in the morning and I have to pull out the ladder to disable it. Only then, before I put the ladder away, will I begrudgingly do what I should have done long ago.
Home safety and emergency preparedness seem to fall into the “should” category. Living in the Pacific NW I know that “The Great earthquake” is looming and at one time, I even purchased kits of supplies that I have since relegated to the back corner of the storage closet underneath holiday decorations and my kids’ artwork that I don’t yet have the heart to let go of.
This topic is top of mind right now as I think about my colleague in Florida who recently had to evacuate from a potential storm surge, and I shared my own lived experience being flooded. In reminiscing about all the things, we should have done, it didn’t occur to me that they are the same things I should be doing now as I close up the house’s windows because of the air quality due to worsening regional forest fires. It was only a few years ago they were at my city’s doorstep at the time I told myself that I “should” not only get my household ready “in the event” but also help my Mom, who lives 90 minutes away, prepare.
I didn’t, but fortunately the community residents in which my Mom resides has been very proactive lately, going beyond encouraging her and the other seniors to have a preparedness kit that’s kept under their beds, but holding one another accountable. Originally, I scoffed at the idea of something under her bed as being overkill…but I’m warming to it. The likelihood that she would need to grab the supplies they recommend in the middle of the night is probably higher than in the middle of the day.
There are a number of fabulous resources that recommend what should go into a preparedness kit, but I am particularly pleased that National Preparedness Month this year has focused their 2023 Campaign, “Take Control in 1, 2, 3” at preparing older and disabled adults for disasters.
The thing is, these older and disabled adults aren’t a demographic, they are just like you and me; they know they “should” be prepared, and they aren’t. Sometimes, it’s even more challenging with our elders who have “lived this long” without needing to be ready. They have “lived through disasters, just fine, thank you,” or just aren’t ready to admit that at their age, they probably physically can’t get the chainsaw out from the back of the garden shed where it’s sitting under a 50-pound bag of now soaked potting soil while the wind is howling at 35 mph.
I promise you, the peace of mind you will feel pulling these items together for them is worth the “oh honey, you don’t have to” or “what do you think, I’m too old to take care of myself” push-back. And if you do face resistance, reverse-engineer the conversations to ask them if they have any extras of the items on this list or could they help you get ready? Then you can take the ‘Oh, by the way, what about we get you what you’d need, too?’
Another upside of leveraging a bit of the motivation to get ready for these events is that it provides a softer way to accumulate many of the vital documents needed for future or advance-stage caregiving. For example, here is a list of all the documents that FEMA recommends. While it might seem overwhelming, with the right secure digital storage product (like Caregiven), collecting this information is often as easy as helping the person you are concerned for locate it and then taking a photo.
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Personal Identification
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Household Information
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Medical Information
Misc:
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As you are collaborating to assemble these documents, it’s also a good time to create a list of the professional service providers and important contacts whose contact information will be useful. Caregiven encourages individuals like you to add these contacts to your Care Circle so that they are accessible if and when you need them and recommend you include:
Medical Professionals
Financial advisors/accountant
Insurance agent
Lawyer
Family (of origin or chosen)
Neighbor or local individual
Faith leader
Then there is the opportunity that is closest to my heart…and that’s documenting the “if you had one hour to get your most precious belongings out, what would they be (and why?)” question. I love this question because it takes me back to my childhood and Dick Van Dyke teaching me to “stop, drop and roll.” Fire safety inevitably led to me creating a plan for my most-precious lovies which, at the time, were my pillow (and green Holly Hobby pillowcase), the teddy bear that my Dad gave me, and the music box from my Mom that plays “You Light Up My Life”.
We all have these items that are most dear to us; they make the best conversation starters and become the most significant family treasures, particularly when the meaning behind the item is captured on audio or video (Caregiven will have this feature in a future release). For the reticent grand-parent, parent, elder or fellow adult who needs more convincing that they “should '' move beyond “should-ing” and get to creating an emergency plan, this approach might be the easiest way to ease them in. I guarantee the conversation will evolve into collecting important documents, who they would turn to for help during challenging times, and the creation of an emergency preparedness kit (perhaps to be stored under their bed).
And who knows, it might also lead to checking smoke detector batteries and other home safety preparations that are likely on the “should” list, the topic of a future blog.
If you have any comments, suggestions to help other caregivers on how to encourage emergency readiness for care recipients, or resources of value, please feel free to send them to hello@caregiven.com. Caregiven provides practical guidance and useful organizational tools for adults caring for other adults and is available by subscription at https://www.caregiven.com.