Care Support Of America CEO offers advice on caregiving to aging relatives

Aug 21 2009

"Summer has its own serious issues for seniors living at home, but a little bit of planning by family caregivers can go a long way should a weather emergency occur. Summer emergencies include not only major disasters like hurricanes and wildfires, but also heat emergencies and storms that knock out electricity and access to services," says Dr. Dan Tobin, CEO of Care Support of America, a national family caregiving service.

"If you are caring for an aging relative, it's vital to check in with them more often to make sure that they're prepared. Stay organized, and keep records of essential medical information such as:

• The names and contact information for each of their doctors and service providers - be sure to include the reason for seeing each of them.
• A list of medications and the contact information for their pharmacy.
• Notes of their past appointments with physicians, treatment recommendations, and follow up.
• A schedule of future appointments.
• An emergency contact list of family telephone numbers.
• Copies of eyeglass prescriptions, and prescriptions for other assistive devices such as walkers and diabetes monitoring devices.

"Do what you can to help your parent stay comfortable in the heat - perhaps helping pay their electricity bill in the summer so that they won't scrimp on air conditioning.

"Heat waves and power-outages can go hand-in-hand. Your parents' home emergency-preparedness kit should include the usual first-aid supplies and also instant cold packs, flashlights - including a model that can be used as a lantern - batteries, a radio, plus water and nonperishable food. Power outages can knock out cell-phone service, so a landline phone (with cord) is more reliable.

"Of course the worst-case scenario is that you must help your folks evacuate their home. Take their health notes along with their medications, eyeglasses, hearing aid batteries, and other assistive devices. Also important: Figure out in advance how to arrange for a prescription refill if needed, and locate backup physicians who can see your parents if they are away from home for an extended time."

Source: http://www.caresupportofamerica.com