Emergency plan
As a carer you are essential to the one you care for. A person with dementia lives with risks, and a good emergency plan can help minimise those risks and help to reduce your own stress.
Through writing on this site, I have tried to warn about what the scenarios could be for some of those emergencies, and to give practical advice for each one. But it’s a really good idea to have an overall plan and that’s what we’re doing here.
Here are some of the basics.
Medical information. You don’t know where you’ll be when the incident happens so make sure you have physical copies of essential information such as diagnoses, medications, allergies, and treatment plans in the home, but have them duplicated electronically so that you can transmit them to others if needed. Most people have their phone with them all the time, and those files can be sent on from there.
Communication. The people who need to know about a sudden change aren’t just family and friends, but also neighbours. The health and social care providers who might call at the house need to know why your person isn’t there if they’ve been whisked off to hospital. Making up a list of these people along with their phone numbers or email saves a lot of time when you might be very busy on the day.
Back up carers. The situation may not just be about the person with dementia having an incident that means they have to go to hospital, or similar. It might be that you yourself are taken out of the picture by an accident or illness. Identify and establish relationships with others who might be able to step in when you need a temporary fix. Local care providers may be able to bring someone in quickly, but also check out other family members who could step up.
This is not a one-off job, because you need to keep those lists up to date. Emergency planning isn’t an optional extra; it’s essential. With all the day-to-day things you are already dealing with, you might overlook this. Being prepared can make all the difference.
