As spring approaches, it is important for Kentucky LTC Ombudsmen to remember what they can do before, during, and after an emergency to ensure personal safety, continuity of operations, and effective advocacy for residents of long-term care facilities, including coordination, communication, and post-disaster recovery support. These recommendations are based on subject matter expertise and the LTC Ombudsman Program experience.
Before an Emergency
Safety Plan. Develop a safety plan for your immediate family and any individual for whom you are a caregiver.
Fuel. If you have advance notice of possible emergencies, get fuel and extra cash.
Supplies. Prepare a box of food, water, batteries, flashlight, and weather radio for your home. A supply for at least 72 hours is recommended. If you have storage capacity, consider having enough supplies to live at home without utilities or road access for two weeks. Do not forget to add items needed by family members and pets such as medicines, diapers, pet food, etc. Think of common disasters in your region and pack items such as masks for fire and dust storms and rubber boots for flooding.
Safety Kit. Prepare a safety kit for each vehicle. Recommendations include a First Aid Kit, bottled water, flashlight with extra batteries, blanket, gloves, traction gripper such as “kitty litter,” small shovel, phone charger, notepad & pen, some cash, personal protective equipment (PPE), etc. Duct tape can repair many things at least temporarily.
Evacuation Plans. Know the safety and evacuation plans at the office. Request and participate in emergency practice drills. Know your office’s plan for the continuation of work if your office becomes uninhabitable due to the disaster. Offices should have at least two plans: telework from employees’ homes and alternate work site.
Safety Bag. Have a safety bag at work. The bag should include bottled water, protein rich snacks, a flashlight with batteries, a whistle, personal protective equipment (PPE), and comfortable walking shoes.
Plans for Your Children. Know the safety and evacuation plans at your child’s school or daycare. Discuss the plan with your child. If you are a caregiver for someone living in a long-term care facility, know and discuss safety plans with the care recipient.
Documents. Keep paper copies of important names and phone numbers (colleagues, volunteers, long-term care facilities, regulatory/licensing agency, emergency management agency) at work, home, and in your vehicle. You cannot rely on phone numbers stored on your landline phone, cell phone, or computer database. You cannot assume that you will have power or access to the internet.
During and After an Emergency
Ombudsman programs are not first responders. Leave this work to be done by law enforcement, fire department, EMTs, and other first responders designated by local authorities.
If you are a volunteer or paid first responder in addition to being an ombudsman program representative, notify your employer that during emergencies you will be a first responder.
If you and your family are personally affected by the emergency, take care of yourself and your family first. As soon as possible notify your supervisor and/or State LTC Ombudsman about what has happened.
After first responders have done their work and local authorities permit others to be in or near the scene of the disaster, you may then begin your duties as an ombudsman program representative.
Ombudsman program responsibilities are consistent before, during, and after emergencies. You are the residents’ advocate. Visit with residents: at the facility if they were “sheltered in place”; and in mass care shelters, hospitals, or other facilities if they were transferred from their residence. If you are not physically able to visit with residents due to road closures or personal impact of the disaster, contact others to check on the residents’ welfare or ask nearby ombudsman program representatives to visit.
Assignments that are best left to other professionals include: transferring, transporting, personal care, and medical care for individuals. However, advocating for such services is within the Ombudsman program role.
If you are in a nearby region or share state boundaries with a region or state impacted by a Federal/State declared emergency you can assist by: Visiting with residents relocated to your area as soon as possible to inquire about their safety, comfort, medical care, and communications needs. Visit with the relocated residents frequently, advocate for their needs. If available, offer to go to the affected disaster area to assist with Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) work. This offer is especially helpful if LTCOP representatives in the disaster area are affected by the disaster and unable to work. Offers of food, clothes, blankets, water, etc. are appreciated. However, the best option is to donate money to legitimate organizations offering on-site assistance.
Examples of LTCO Work During & After Emergencies
Communications. Immediately after the disaster residents may want assistance contacting family and friends. Family members and friends may be calling the LTCOP to ask where particular residents have been relocated. Relocated residents may be moved more than once. Prepare a spreadsheet to keep up with residents, temporary housing, and family contacts, and/or connect with the designated Clearinghouse that is tracking this information.
Mental Health Services. It would be beneficial to have mental health professionals participate in the emergency preparedness planning and response. If a resident tells you, if family indicates, or you sense that a resident is struggling mentally with the effects of the disaster, seek help for them.
Personal Belongings. During emergencies LTC residents may lose clothing and shoes, glasses, hearing aids, dentures, purses and wallets, durable medical equipment, medicines, etc. Initially it may be helpful to list the lost items that need to be replaced on the communications spreadsheet mentioned above. First, check to see if any of their items are salvageable from the disaster. Second, advocate for physician orders to get replacement prescriptions, durable medical equipment, etc. Negotiations may need to occur with Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance, to assist with replacement costs. Third, assist residents with applying through the Disaster Recovery Center for FEMA assistance and private insurance claims. Red Cross and others’ donations of clothing and small stipends may help in replacing items.
