Medical Emergencies and the ElderlyPandemic Flu ConcernsMedical emergencies for the elderly, people with handicaps, or nursing home residents present unique concerns that you will need to prepare for in your flu pandemic preparedness plan.
Elderly people, people with handicaps have special considerations. They will be at risk if there are electrical failures, water/sewage service failures, difficulty getting drugs, failure of "911" services, transportation failures, failure of employees to show up for work because they are afraid of getting sick or have children who are home alone.
Photo courtesy of Shayan (USA) If you would like to ask a doctor a question, a good place to do so, without the expense of a doctor visit, is doctors online advice. If possible, families should consider taking these fragile family members into their homes. Persons at high risk for medical emergencies include those with:
Extra
emergency medical supplies
will need to be stored for older people. And you may need to undergo training in order to assist with their special needs and care.
Questions to Ask a Nursing HomeIf you can't take a family member home from a nursing home, at least ask questions about the home's contingency plans:
As you can see, the elderly pose have special needs that make them more vulnerable during a flu pandemic or any other kind of medical emergency. Keep emergencies to a bare minimum for your loved ones by preparing as much as you can, ahead of time—before there is a true emergency in your backyard. Make sure you have a good supply of
emergency medical supplies
on hand. And make sure you ask the right questions if your loved one is in a long term care facility.
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