Reviewing Your Parent's Emergency Kit during National Preparedness Month
Caregivers in Queens NY
As a family caregiver one of your most important priorities is to make sure that your loved one stays healthy and safe throughout their later years. Throughout the month of September, join with others in the care community to work toward ensuring that your aging parent is safe, secure, and comfortable in the event of an emergency by observing National Preparedness Month. One of the most important things that you can do to help prepare your parent for an emergency or disaster is to have a well-stocked emergency kit available to them. This kit should contain all of the supplies that they may need to sustain them through an emergency event or disaster, such as a severe storm. Building the kit, however, is not where this preparation stops. As this kit should be in place in the home at all times, it is important that you take the time to occasionally review, evaluate, and refresh the kit to ensure that it is always at its best.
Use these tips to ensure your parent's emergency kit stays its most effective during National Preparedness Month:
• Store food properly. Canned food products being used as rations for the emergency kit do not need to be stored within the kit itself. Instead, store these canned products in a cool, dry place to better protect their integrity. Store any boxed or bagged foods in an additional container, such as a tightly sealed plastic or metal box, to prevent pests from getting to them and to cut down on the risk of water damage in the event of an emergency. Check these foods regularly and dispose of any that appears swollen, damaged, or compromised in any way.
• Store medical supplies properly. A well-stocked first aid kit is an essential part of any emergency kit. Make sure that these supplies are properly stored by putting them in a water resistant container, or at least storing them in a plastic bag within your first aid kit. Be sure that any medications are in their original containers and that prescriptions have their original labels on them to prevent any issues.
• Check medical supplies regularly. Remember that medical supplies such as over the counter pain relievers do expire. Check your parent's first aid kit twice a year to ensure that any old or outdated supplies are removed and replaced. Store supplies with the older items in front to encourage using them first.
• Change water supplies regularly. Emergency water does not last forever. Be sure that your parent's emergency water is purchased in tightly sealed containers and that they do not open these containers unless there is an emergency that requires water. Any opened containers should be used within a few days and then disposed of to prevent contamination. Replace all emergency water supplies, except for water rations that are specifically designed to be kept as emergency supplies, such as water blocks, every six months to ensure that they are healthy when used.
If you or an aging loved one are considering caregivers in Queens, NY, please call the caring staff at Right at Home of Brooklyn (347) 554-8400.
Author: Walter Ochoa, Owner, Right at Home Brooklyn
Walter Ochoa is the owner and operator of Right at Home, which is located in Brooklyn.Walter graduated from the University of the Valley in Guatemala. He met and married his college sweetheart, Jean, who is American. They moved to Brooklyn, where they currently live with their 2 children. They are very involved in the community.
Walter has worked for some of the top financial service companies holding various positions from Project Management to Compliance Control Specialist. Despite his success, he had always wanted to do something more fulfilling that would give him a greater sense of inner satisfaction. He wanted to assist those who wished to stay in their own homes, but could no longer do it alone, like the elderly and disabled. So when the opportunity arose for him to start his own business, he took it. In 2010, Walter and Jean ventured to open Right at Home of Brooklyn, which services all of New York City.
Walter knows he made the right decision because he saw the need was definitely there. Now Right at Home assists not only the elderly and disabled, but adults of any age that need some assistance or an extra hand to continue living Right at Home.” That conviction, plus his Culture of Care philosophy, makes Right at Home one of the most Care driven Home Care agencies around.