When someone relies on you on a daily basis for support and care, it can be a worrying thought to consider what would happen if you are unable to be there for any reason.
Creating an emergency plan is something every carer should do in order to ensure the person you care for can always receive the care they need, even if something unexpected means you can’t be by their side.
Making an Emergency Plan
The first step you should take when forming an emergency plan for the person you care for is to make a card to keep in your wallet or purse. It should contain the carer’s contact information and whom else to contact in an emergency. This emergency card can be really useful to make alternative arrangements should you be out of reach during an emergency.
Secondly, schedule an hour or two in a day in which you can sit down and formulate your emergency plan in full. It can be hard to find time in the day when you are caring for someone, so you might want to consider asking a friend or family member to cover your caring responsibilities for a few hours so you can get everything arranged in one go.
Things to Consider
Every carer’s emergency plan will be different depending on your support network and the person you care for. When making your plan, you may need to consider the following factors:
- The contact information of the person you care for
- Individuals you would like to be contacted in the case of an emergency (friends, family, doctors, and other professionals, for example)
- Medical information on the person you care for, including any medication they currently take and when it needs to be taken
- Treatment information – appointments that need to be kept etc, physio, dietary requirements, etc.
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Emergency Contacts & Support
It is important to consider the people who will be involved in your emergency plan, especially the people who will be on hand to provide care and support to the person you care for if you are unable to do so.
When considering this, ask yourself:
- Is this person familiar with caring for the person I care for, and their needs?
- Will they be able to provide care if I am unable to do so?
- Are there any particular days they will be unable to provide care?
- Could this emergency plan be used long-term, or is this a short-term arrangement?
- Are there multiple people I could rely on for assistance with the person I care for?
- Do I have all their up-to-date contact information?
Be sure to speak with the people you would like to put into your emergency plan before finalising these details in order to confirm they would be happy to provide support if needed.
Sharing Your Plan
Of course, your emergency plan is only going to be effective if people know about it. For this reason, you need to share your emergency plan with the appropriate parties and ensure it is updated with any changes.
You should provide a copy of your emergency plan to:
- The people involved in the emergency plan
- The person you care for
- Anyone else who currently provides support or care alongside your duties
In some local areas, you may also be able to inform a care services centre as an extra measure of support in emergencies.
Surewise.com provides Carers Insurance to protect you when you’re caring for others. Get a quote for your policy today and give yourself the peace of mind that you’re covered to live life confidently.
