Sometimes people aren't able to take care of their loved ones, for various reasons. Though we can't always be with them, it's important to make sure the people that are with them know how to protect them.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in 2012 on any day, more than 1.4 million Americans live in 15,800 nursing homes; more than 3 million have used nursing home services some time during the year.
You may not be able to control an explosion, earthquake, hurricane, power outage, terrorist attack or other catastrophic natural or human-created events. But, you can make sure you know what will happen to your parent or someone else dear to you should there be one.
Some past disaster plans have been . . . a disaster. In 2005, 70 nursing home residents lost their lives whenHurricane Katrina and Rita barreled through New Orleans and the Gulf Coast area. The federal government’sGeneral Accountability Office (GAO), the independent investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, studied why there were so many lives lost and has brought awareness for the need for more stringent policies.
In the meantime, here are nine questions to ask nursing home administrators:...
- What is your evacuation plan and does it comply with government standards? Who decides to activate that plan? When was the plan last updated? Do first responders know what the plan says?
- What’s the transportation plan in an emergency? How will you get residents out (special equipment?) if the elevators aren’t working?
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