Assisted Living Disaster and Emergency Plans:Most Assisted Living Facilities have a well orchestrated disaster preparedness plan in place - however families and primary contacts for residents in Assisted living need to be aware of what that "plan" is and how it is to be carried out.
We have gotten so many pleas for help finding lost family members since Hurricane Katrina. We have been fortunate to have located several displaced residents and let their families know where they are. The communities that evacuated were carrying out a well developed plan with a host incredibly dedicated staff and volunteers.
We hope you will take a moment to look over these suggested questions related to assisted living and senior housing disaster plans:
When assisting an aging parent or relative with finding an appropriate assisted living facility, it is important to find out if that facility will be prepared in case of emergency. Will your loved one be safe? Ask these potential questions of the prospective assisted living facility to find out how emergencies are handled:
- Does the facility have an emergency plan?
- When was it last updated?
- May I review a copy of the plan?
- When was the emergency plan last exercised?
- Do you have evacuation procedures?
- How do you notify residents if an evacuation is necessary?
- How are residents with disabilities evacuated safely?
- How are disaster kits handled for residents and staff?
- How are family members contacted in case of an emergency?
- In case of emergency, how long are you prepared to take care of my family members?
- Are there on-site security personnel?
- Do you teach lessons on preparedness to residents and staff?
- What is the percentage of staff members who are trained in basic and advanced first aid?
- Do you have an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) clearly marked and readily available? What is the percentage of staff members who are trained to use it?
- In case of power failure, do you have an emergency power source or back-up generator?
- How can I help prepare my relative to handle emergencies and disasters?
American Red Cross Disaster Preparedness for People with Disabilities This brochure offers practical information covering almost everything a person with a disability would need to be prepared for a disaster. It even covers disability-specific preparedness information, and also has a great timeline at
the end for putting together a disaster supplies kit.
