Emergency Preparedness for Alzheimer’s Patients

Emergency preparedness can take on many meanings in the world of Alzheimer’s when you’re caring for people with this disease.

*Make sure you and your family members have made out a Living Will.  Then when a medical crisis arises and the Alzheimer’s patient can’t make a lucid decision (or any decision), you know what should be done.  You’re less likely to have a hassle from family or medical personnel.

My aunt didn’t have a Living Will.  When she could no longer swallow and a nasal tube wasn’t working for feeding, the medical personnel in charge asked my mom (her sister and closest relative) if she would like them to insert a feeding tube through my aunt’s stomach.  Mother, who was developing Alzheimer’s herself, said they should do this.

Later, when Auntie was in a vegetative state and Mother had asked me to be responsible for her care, I was told the tube couldn’t be removed.  I hadn’t asked that it be taken out, but wondered about options. 

*Plan with family members what to do in emergencies when you have an Alzheimer’s patient living in your home.  What do you do if they suddenly disappear?  Do they wear an ID bracelet or necklace?  Whom do you call?  What are the measures in your town for finding missing Alzheimer’s victims.

Fortunately when Auntie disappeared while living with Mother, a friend recognized her walking up the road in her orange bathrobe, about one half mile from home.  What if they hadn’t?  We didn’t know enough about Alzheimer’s at that time, the late 1980s, to have an emergency plan beforehand.

             *Do you have plans in place to prevent your Alzheimer’s family member from using a stove, when they no longer remember to turn off the burner?  We had to unplug the electric stove whenever we weren’t at home with Mother.

Learn all you can about this disease when it strikes a family member, to protect them whether they’re living by themselves or with you.  Try to think ahead about emergencies and try to prepare for them.

Sometimes the Alzheimer’s patient seems always one step ahead of you, but by admitting your family member has this illness and educating yourself, you will begin to prepare for the emergencies that can arise.