A TERRIBLE WAKE UP CALL

The tragic loss of life at the South Florida nursing home after Hurricane Irma should be a wake-up call to all long term care facilities in the State of Florida. While the caregivers at these homes are often hard-working, and well-intentioned, there are often not enough of them, and not enough resources available to them, particularly in an emergency. Our elderly deserve better. If your loved one is in a nursing home or assisted living facility, ask the administrator for the facility’s disaster preparedness plan. Ask the staff who is caring for your father, mother, aunt or uncle, what the plan is for the residents if the facility loses power. Is the staff trained in recognizing signs and symptoms of heat stroke? If you are not able to get to the nursing home, have you made arrangements for someone you trust to put eyes on your loved one when a natural disaster strikes? As we know from this event, relying upon the efforts, and the word, of the nursing home, can have tragic consequences. Be prepared. Be vigilant. And hold the nursing home accountable. Whether they admit it after the fact or not, it is their job to keep your loved one safe during these times of crisis.