Day to day, planning for the elderly you care for

Day to day. As each day passes before you know it a whole year has gone by. I think I get things back on track and on a schedule and then something BIG happens and the things I want to do for "me" do get pushed to the side.

I have daily lists of things to post and a whole notebook of great ideas. I just need to fine a few minutes to be able to sit down and post here on the blog.

Being a full time caregiver of and elderly person who needs you all the time, taking time to post on a blog gets pushed to the back burner since I still have to care for my family, cook, clean and all that great wonderful stuff we all do every day.

So on that note....

 Getting a small kit for the Grandma, or Grandpa together if you care for them is a huge deal.

A few things I have had to "add" to Grandma's kit. You may have to add things every six months as things change quickly for elderly people!

One week of Medicine and Prescriptions!
Diapers, Chuck pads, and wipes, extra towels
Puzzle books, book to read, pencils, and pencil sharpener.
Extra glasses
Extra clothes, being that she has accidents more often than not, extra clothes and wash clothes are needed!
Things to help her feel comfortable, photos, blanket, sweater, stuff animal, etc.
List of all medications, doctors names and numbers.

Medical history written down and copies of the ID and such. Important paperwork!
Bottle of water "just for her".
Snacks for her.
Ask them what they may want or have them help put the kit, bag, etc together. 



We have a safe zone in our house for when we get tornado warnings. In an extra drawer in the room I have placed all her "items". I also have a bag packed for her in case we have to leave the house for any emergency.

Know that older people and the elderly can not move that fast, especially if they have a disability.  You may have to talk to them many times about the emergency plans, what to do and such. They may not understand the reason why you are making them move and go in to a certain room. They may not understand the danger you maybe in! Try to stay calm and explain again and again. Give them something to do and sit and talk to them.

You can not pick them up and move them like a small child. You have to give them as much warning as possible. When we get a tornado watch. I tell her that we have a Tornado watch and tell what is going on and if I tell her to get to the bathroom, which is right across the hall of her, she needs to move now. Not after a show, or commercial, not after I read this page in the book. When I say now, I mean now! After a while they "may" get it and then depending on the conditions of each person they may not.


If you have a plan and the items in place you will be more prepared and ready to handle the emergency that may come along. So you can be calm and can think with a straight head and not be running around trying to figure out what to do!

Each family is different, each person is different. You kit may need other things or things I have listed you do not need. Make your own list, make your own kit for your needs and the needs of those you care for!

Here is a blog post I thought covered things well.
 http://momwithaprep.com/emergency-preparedness-for-elders/

September is national preparedness month

September is national preparedness month. This is the month many people prepare, go through their kits, go over their emergency plans.

With summer over and the seasons changing time to get ready for fall and winter. Time to finish up harvesting the garden, canning, jelly and jam making, dehydrating fruits and vegetables.

Time to go through clothes, put away summer items, and break out the fall and winter items.

Hurricane season will be at its peak, get your 72 hour kits ready. With the changing of weather more severe thunderstorms, and possible tornados time to be sure you have things ready.

Have a fire drill for your home. Go over your meeting place at home. Where will you meet if you can not get back home? Does everyone know where to meet?

Get you car ready for fall and winter. Go through your car emergency kit. Change out the water, food, clothes and supplies. Check batteries. Give your car a once over, check tire pressure, check the spare tire too. Check all fluids.

Go through the first aid kit. Did the kids use up all the bandages? How about the bug sting meds. Check for expiration dates, replace.

This is the time of year to go through kits. See what you need to replace. Take the time to do it. Because you never know when you will need it!   

Sanitation Kit: Hygiene

Well we all have to go to the Bathroom! What if the water is cut off, and you can not use your toilet?

This is why we all need to a sanitation plan in place. Your sanitation kit should be put together and place near your 72 hour kit. You know someone will have to go soon or later! With out proper sanitation diseases can spread and can even cause death.

Place the following into two 5 gallon buckets with tight fitting lids.
Toilet paper
Infant supplies (if needed) Adult Supplies (if needed)
Medium Heavy duty trash bags for lining the buckets at least 13 gallon size
Large heavy duty trash bags for sealing up waste 33 gallon size
bar soap, dish soap, laundry soap
Bottle of bleach
Hand towelettes
Baby wipes
Towel per person, wash cloth person ( if not already included in personal packs)
Tooth paste, toothbrush, mouth wash, Shampoo( if not already included in personal packs)
Medium sized Zipper type baggies for misc uses
Scrub brush, dish cloth, roll of paper towels
1-2 wash pans or wash basins
Rope to tie up for a clothes line
Disposable gloves
Hand sanitizer
Lotion
Hydrogen peroxide
Vinegar
Baking Soda
2-3 Empty spray bottles for peroxide, vinegar, bleach
Borax
super sorb, or chemical toilet type powders to add to bucket
small shovel (if not already included in your 72 hour kit)
face masks
Optional: snap on lid seat for 5 gallon bucket available online, and at outdoor supply stores.

May want to have 2 buckets one for solid waste and one for fluid waste.

Check with your local health dept for their plans regarding waste disposal before a disaster. They will give you guide lines as what to do with your waste. Each city is different, each county is different, each state is different. It all depends on where you live and the resources around you.

Simply Preparing

As we simply prepare for things, I am reminded each week of all the things we need to prepare for. Even just the little things like a flat tire you need to prepare for!

Right now in the news is the threat of Hurricane Isaac. I hope people have taken into consideration and learned from former storms to have a plan, have a kit, and simply be prepared. But you do not have to wait for big storms to come to prepare. Everyday we have things we need to prepare for.

This is what happened to us Friday night/Saturday morning.

Friday night around 10pm, My daughter had a bad blow out on one tire while driving. She was fine, never lost control. She did what we taught her when she started driving years ago. She slowed down, turned on her hazard lights, slowly got over to the side of the road, found a public busy parking lot and parked. Once she parked (under a big light), she called us and my husband went to help her. They did not get home until after midnight.

Saturday morning we had very bad and severe thunderstorms come through our area. I woke up to the rain, wind then the thunder. A few minutes later the NOAA weather radio went off telling us of the severe thunderstorm, the phone alerts went of on the phones, all at once.  Then there are flooding alerts that then followed. This all started at 5am on Saturday, rain started at midnight. By the end of the day we received over 10 inches of rain. The neighborhood was flooded, most roads were impassable. We are lucky enough to live where we personally were not flooded, but all around us was.  Now I really know why we had to but flood insurance before buying the house! We never lost power.

Since I was up at 5am with the storm I made biscuits, coffee, etc. I then put water into the 5 gallon water cooler, just in case. Put all kits in the same place.

9am comes and a tornado warning comes across the weather radio. We all put our shoes on! I then put all kits into the bathroom, (our safer room) had my daughter put the harness on the cat, grab our purses, blankets etc. Husband watched out one side of the house, I watched the other side of the house, had all 3 TVS on the local weather until the threat passed. We are happy to say the tornado did NOT form near us! Whew!!!

Sad thing is we had to go to the bank to deposit paycheck, get a tire fixed from the evening before. So we had to buy a new tire, have it put on and such. This is also the day I had planned to go grocery shopping. Saturday is errand day anyway, right. lol We were able to do all these things, since we knew ways in and out of the neighborhood even with flooded streets.

All this happened with out warning, all happened with in 24 hours.

We could get by with out fixing the tire, and just used my husbands car if we had to, I did not have to go to the store if I could not of and well the check depositing could of waited until Monday or I could of done it online.

So in 24 hours we had a bad blow out tire, severe thunderstorms with lots of wind, 10 inches of rain, flooding, tornado warning. Non the less we had a busy weekend. But we were prepared for all. Taught our daughter what to do late at night in the dark if she gets a flat tire, and she did it!!! Had out kits for the tornado, etc. We all knew what to do with out being told. We just did it! Husband has his jobs, I have my jobs, Daughter has her jobs. Warning comes across the radio and we DO it! The reason why we just do our jobs, is we have a plan, we talk about our plan and we do out plan.

I look at the warnings as real as they are, glad nothing happens and if they do we know what to do.

Glad this weekend is over and all is good!

Non Food Item Plastic Shopping Bags

How many times have you gone to the store and forgot your reusable shopping bags? I know I have. Then you come home with a mountain of these bags.

Well since you have them, might as well use them. We reuse ours for many things, doggy poop pick up, cat box clean up, wet clothes for the beach, muddy shoes for the car, use in packing for trips, someone always needs a bag when they visit to put stuff in to leave, ie wet swim suits, wet towels, etc. We use them to clean out the car, have in the car for trips for trash, we even used some to move food from one place to another. I used them to wrap glass and breakables when were packing to move! When the kids needed a bag to go out for the day and hold towels, change of clothes, they used a one. For Halloween and other parties a great way to send home treats, use for trick or treating. (pillow case works better but in a pinch it works great). I have used them to store clothes and extra linens. I have used them to be box fillers when packing a box for shipping. (my sister really loves that! NOT). We use them in the trash cans for the bathrooms, bedrooms, etc.

There are so many uses for these little bag. some people make things out of them.
They are handy to when you do not want to use a big trash bag. Great for picking up things and you do not have gloves around, light weight for traveling and such. I even have some in my food Storage. 72 hour kits and the like.

So instead of wading them up and placing them in a bag and hang on the wall. I even have a box I stick most of mine in for the house. Today I re used a Clorox disinfection wipes container and folded up the bags and added it to our 72 hour kit,instead of a gallon baggie. I was able to get 30 bags into the container, by folding. By wading up and squishing them into the container I only got 20.

I will be re using my disinfection wipes containers to make more. You can put the bags that are in the containers then in your car, in the bathroom, in your first aid kits, 72 hour kits, on your shelves for use in the food storage room. When you place them into any container you save space and you are more organized! We all need help doing that. I took a big bag of shopping bags and made them into a much smaller space. It only took me maybe 10 minutes. You can have the kids help fold the bags and see how many they can put in to a container. Lots of people use coffee cans with plastic lids with a hole cut out, I have done this in the kitchen.  Kleenex boxes work great too. Just about anything that you want you reuse for this will work.

Here is a link to how to I found out here in blog world... Now I did not decorate mine, I just wrote on the container with a sharpie.
http://tatertotsandjello.com/2011/07/summer-social-guest-project-make_21.html

I took pics, but my camera is being grumpy, go figure.

Its that time of year

It is that time of year. Back to school time. As people are busy trying to get things is order for the kids to go back to school. This is the perfect time to buy certain things to add to your 72 hour kits, 2 week kits and storage in general.

This is the time of year that I buy lots of socks, underwear, tee shirts and pants for everyone. When these items go on sale I buy many. I put some away for spring time to pull out of storage and give everyone a new package of socks, because by then they have holes, or lost pairs, etc. Same thing for underwear, and tee shirts. Now pants is a whole another thing. If you have growing kids you can not buy extra to put away for 6 months or longer. This only works if you have grown children, husbands etc.

Now it the time of year to go through your 72 hour kits, change out the clothing and replace. It is a good idea to go through it and wash it at least once a year, if not twice a year. You do not want to have to use your 72 hour clothes and they smell, have bugs in them or simply do not fit! Just like you have to change and replace out your food and water, the same goes for the clothes.

Wash all new clothes you buy. Now is the time of year to go through your winter and fall clothes, take them out of storage or out of the closet. See what still fits, see what has no holes, etc and wash and get ready for the cooler temps. Since August is almost over cooler weather in many places is coming. Time to put away the shorts and tank tops.

We do not have over filling closets. We have enough clothes for 2-3 weeks. This includes socks, underwear, tee shirts, pants that you can wear more than one day, sweats, long sleeve shirts, sweat shirts, sweaters, etc. The reason I have enough for a few weeks is if I can NOT wash clothes for a while we are good to go. I wash clothes on a regular basis, which is 1 load of wash per person per week. 1-2 loads of towels, 1 load of bedding per person in a week. The reason why I do more towels than anything is we have a pool and the towels start to smell and do not dry completely with the humidity.  

This is also the time of year to buy towels, wash clothes, bedding, and closet supplies. As families are sending their older children to college, the stores have things on sale for people to buy said items. So even though I do not have kids in school anymore I still take advantage of this time of year to buy things to replace and add to my storage.

See what you need, buy what you need and save money at the same time!

Immunizations

One way of being prepared and ready for anything is to have your Immunizations updated and current. All children entering school should have their Shots current and boosters given when they are do. As adults you need to keep your shot boosters updated also.

Pets need to have their shots updated most are yearly!

Keep your Immunization records in your document files kit. These files you take with you even ever you leave your home for evacuation purposes.

You can look up what is recommended or you and your family. Again this is a personal choice. There are many sites, CDC, your states health service or health dept can tell you what you need. Most school districts let parents know when children and what age or grade level needs boosters before school starts.

Most Health districts offer free to low cost immunizations for children. Adults may have to pay a small fee. It all depends on where you live.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/

I personally believe in Immunizations to prevent many things. I have never had an issue with my children or anyone in my extended family having an issue with any shot. I personally feel the benefit out ways any risk!

This is the time of year the flu shots will be coming out. If you are older, very young, work in a place where you are exposed to many people, or have health issues I would recommend you get one. Of course you need to talk with your doctor! Only you and your health care provider can make those choices for you!

This is the time of year to find the info you need and find low cost to free immunizations!
Many doctors have grants for many immunizations and or they can offer them for free for children.

We want to protect our families from many things and this is one easy way to protect them from many illnesses that you do not need to get!

72 Hour Kit Idea Sept

Hopefully you already have your 72 hour kit ready to go! If so then this is the time of year to update the clothing in the kits. As the kids have gone back to school and new clothes have been bought, time to rotate the clothes in the kits as well. 

We all not only kids either grow, lose weight, gain weight.

Have everyone try on their clothes, and remove the ones that do not fit and add clothes that do fit. Shoes need to be looked at also. Do not forget the socks, jackets, and hats.

Childrens Corner Sept

September has come and the Children including Teens are  Back to school and we are all getting back into the routines of school life. Here are are few things to think about and prepare not only yourself but your children also in case something happens.

Do you know what your children's school escape routes are at the school? We all spend many after hours at the schools for plays, concerts, games, etc.

How about the schools emergency plans or what happens if they have a lock down? what do they do for fire drills? Do they do other "disaster type drills"?

Does your school run emergency bus routes on snow days for example?  In the event of a school evacuation for an emergency will they bus the kids to a pre-determined place for pick up? If so do you know where?

What if the Buses are not running, or they do not let the kids walk home, do you know what you and the children will do? What if your child misses the bus now what do they do even after school or before school and you are at work?

Does your school have a person in charge when things happen? Does your school have a phone tree to alert you? Is your contact information current?

To help prepare and get not only yourself ready, but your child or children as well. 

Make a mini 24 hr Kit to fit in your child’s back pack to have at all times. Take a gallon size plastic bag or pencil bags/ pouches, add what they need, remember phone numbers & coins, make a card with their address and name on it, water, food (granola bar, jerky, etc), add a band aid and something small to do. Small bottle of hand sanitizer, glow stick, pack of tissues, Place in bottom of back pack. You can also use a pocket to store these items. 

Have each child/teen decorate their "24 bag" to make it theirs. 

Of course you need to decide what each child, or teen needs to have in their backpacks. You also need to rotate the food items every few months. Teach the kids to carry a bottle of water each day also. Talk with your school officials and find out what they have for their plans, so you know as a parent what yo do ahead of time. 

Some schools are on the social media sites, almost all have websites, and many have email alerts to things. Depending on your town, city, many local news stations have alerts that you can get on your smart phone for school closings and emergency updates. As parents, grandparents, and guardians, we need to be informed and stay connected to each child's school. Yes that is hard when you have children in elementary, middle and high school. But EACH school even in the same district will have their own way to handle things. As they should, each school is built differently, have different staff and have different age groups. 

Preparation a head of time will keep you calm, keep your children calm and knowing what to do, what to expect and where to find and pick up your children is the most important thing in keeping them safe. 

As parents you need should have the schools phone number, transportation dept phone number teachers names, principles names, even the bus driver names and bus numbers.

Pet Tip September 2011

Pet idea of the month of September

We all know to take pictures of our kids and our belongings. Do you have a current picture of your pet? Take a picture of your pet, you will need an up close picture to show any markings and even another one to show the whole body of the pet., and of course a face shot.

Storm Chaser the Cat on a harness and leash.

Now we all have pictures, but be sure to print them off, add them to your document kit, 72 hour kits etc.

Write down all your pets features, breed, weight, age, be sure to have shot records, and license information.

If you have pictures of your pet in your kits, update them as well. A good reminder to remember when to up date the pets picture is the same time as school starts, and the kids are getting there school photos taken.

If you need to take your pet to a pet shelter during an Emergency or you need to board them for anytime, be sure to take a picture to give the people doing the intake of your pet. 

Storm Chaser the cat relaxing during Hurricane Irene

September is National Preparedness Month

Remember, Prepare and Plan with your Family

 

This September, our nation will mark the ten year anniversary of 9/11, remembering those lost, honoring our first responders and renewing our commitment to prepare and plan for emergencies. September is also National Preparedness Month, founded after 9/11 to increase preparedness in the United States. This is a time to get prepared and have a plan. We all need to pay attention to our surroundings and know what is going on in the world!

If you’ve seen the news recently, you know that emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere, in any community  and many states. In times of crisis, it is important to be self-sufficient as police, fire and rescue may not always be able to reach you quickly, such as if trees or power lines are down or if they’re overwhelmed by demand from the emergency. We have had many natural disasters in recent weeks, months and they have affected many states, many communities, and millions of people.

Preparedness is a shared responsibility and it takes a whole community. All households are strongly advised to prepare for an event that includes the loss of electricity, water service, access to a supermarket and local services for a few days. Be prepared for all kinds of emergencies that can happen in your area, not just Natural Disasters.

Follow these three simple steps to begin your preparations.

• Get a Kit

• Keep enough emergency supplies on hand for your family for at least three days-72 HOURS, water (one gallon, per person, per day), non-perishable food, first aid supplies, prescriptions flashlight and a battery powered radio. If you own a pet, remember to include their food and supplies in your kit.

• Make a Plan

• Be sure everyone in the family understands where to go and what to do in case of an emergency. Establish responsibilities for each member of your household and plan to work together as a team.

• Designate two locations to meet in case it is impossible to return home or if you have to evacuate; one near your home and one outside of the neighborhood. Make sure your family knows the address and phone number of both locations.

•  Designate an out-of-area contact person. This person should be far enough away that it is unlikely he or she would be affected by the same emergency. Family members should call this person to report their locations if they cannot reach each other. Provide your contact person with important names and numbers so he or she can assist in keeping others posted on your situation. Create a communications card for each member of your household to keep with them at all times.

• Be Informed, follow the local and national news, Listen to the radio, get text alerts for your area, via news channels, local Emergency agencies, Facebook, Twitter etc.

• Discuss with your family the types of disasters that can happen where you live.

• Visit www.Ready.gov or www.redcross.org to find preparedness information.

Take this month to go through your kit, make a kit if you do not have one, make your plan or review your current plan.

Hurricane Preparedness

 Hurricane Irene:

So this is my First Hurricane that I had to prepare for and experienced personally. Here are a few things that I have learned and I would be sure to have for any Emergency.

Now I had bagged up ice from the ice maker for a week prior. I also made big ice chunks in the freezer. Knowing I would need them for after the hurricane. Due note need to make more ICE, need to have more ice made, and double bagged!

Mosquitoes are bad especially after the hurricane, so you really do need to have bug spray!

We had the rain come in under the doors into the house. we put down towels and cleaned it up. so be sure to check your weather stripping. make sure it is new, and not worn! We now live in an apartment complex, so will have to get on the maintenance people to fix that!

You can never have enough glow sticks. You will need 1 per room per night for a week or so. It is had to use the bathroom in the dark, or while trying to hold a flashlight in the bathroom.

Snack type food is something you may want to consider for people. when you lose power and the boredom starts in people will want to snack on something. We had food to snack on, but you can always use more. We planned on 3 people to be here. We ended up with 6 people total. We had to have extra people for their safety. I did not plan on 3 more mouths to feed, 3 more people to entertain, and 3 more people to find a place to sleep, shower, use the bathroom. So always plan for more people!

So by doing this for many years I have always had a plan, and a kit. I have lived through many natural disasters, and many other things, but once you have to go through something new first hand.

Well here is a basic list that Virginia is giving out to their residents and a link

Get a Kit

Having an emergency supply kit is essential to making it through a disaster safely. Make sure to have supplies on hand to last each person at least three days.

Put these essential items in your kit:

• Food, at least a three-day supply of food that does not need electricity for storage or for preparation
• Manual can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
• Water, at least three gallons per person for drinking and sanitation
• Battery-powered/hand-crank radio with weather band and extra batteries
• Written family emergency plan [on line form]

Once you have the essentials you should add these items to your kit:

• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Prescription medications and eye wear
• Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter where you are
• Sanitation supplies: moist towelettes, toilet paper, soap and plastic garbage bags

Additional items to consider adding to an emergency supply kit:

• Items for infants and toddlers
• Items for pets
• Local maps
• Copies of important family documents, such as insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
• Cash in small denominations or traveler's checks and change
• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person (consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate)
• Complete change of clothing including a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, socks and sturdy shoes (consider additional layers if you live in a cold-weather climate)
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper (when diluted in water, bleach can be used to kill germs)
• Fire Extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Paper cups, plates and plastic knives, forks and spoons, paper towels
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children 
• http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/getakit
•  

Sanitation Kit

Sanitation Kit

Place the following in a two-5 gallon buckets with a tight fitting lids:

(keep with your main 72 hour backpacks)

Toilet paper

Infant supplies (if needed)

Large trash bags for sealing up waste.

Soap: Waterless hand soap, hand sanitizer, bar soap, dish soap, laundry soap

Bottle of bleach

Pre-moistened towelettes/ baby wipes

Large towel and hand towel for each person

Toothbrush/ tooth paste/ mouthwash (if not included in personal packs) waterless toothbrushes

Shampoo

Medium Ziploc bags for misc. uses

Scrub brush/ dish cloth / roll of paper towels

1 or 2 wash pans

Rope (to tie up as clothes line)

Optional: Snap-on toilet seat for 5 gallon bucket-available at outdoor supply stores

Cat litter to add to the bucket.

Picnic Kit

Picnic Kit

why a Picnic Kit: Well when I had small children at home and in the summer time there were many times that we decided on the spur of the moment to have a picnic. Then there is a having a larger family who would also decide to have a picnic or go to the park just because. 

Now the picnic kit can double as an addition to your 72 hour kit, as it will have many of the items you would need.

Box, wicker basket, Canvas bag, back pack, suitcase what ever works for you to put everything in to keep in one place.

Paper plates, cups, paper towels and plastic silverware, you could use plastic plates and cups and wash them when you get home.

Baby wipes instant hand sanitizer

Twin flat sheet, blanket, or table cloth

Sharp knife in a sleeve

Matches

Water bottles

Can opener

Salt and pepper shakers, Small packets of mustard, ketchup, mayo, relish, etc.

Trash bags, plastic reseal able bags are a need

Small first aid kit, bug spray, sun screen, lip balm, put into small plastic bag

Cooler have re-freezable ice packs or soda pop bottles filled 1/2 way, add a little more water and you have extra water on those hot days.

Outdoor clothing if going out all day and into the evening jackets, pants, hats

Things to do Balls, bats, Frisbees, bubbles, football, water balloons, water guns,  deck of cards, crossword books etc.

  

camera 

With a Picnic kit all you need to add is the park and food for the fun. Esp now that you have everything else that you need already to go!