Has anyone experienced their family member in assisted living being evacuated for a hurricane?

My mother returned with the AL facility today after almost a week away. She is very glad to be back but also amazingly had a positive experience. She felt everyone was very helpful and there were daily extra activities. Here in SC where I am near the coast we were very fortunate. Nothing like Matthew 2 years ago. But I know there is great suffering in alot of NC and I grieve for loss of life there and those still in peril.

My heart goes out to everyone who has love ones in NC or SC. The reports on flooding and rescues is unbelievable. On another post I spoke about Katrina and how I saw on the news the elderly patients in their chairs in the hallway with water up to their waists!! I couldn't believe it. I kept wondering where their family was.

Dear Riverdale and all preparing for the storm -

Prayers are with you and your loved ones.

Be safe.

Good morning everyone,
I have been thinking about all those caregivers in the path of the storm and I want you to know that there are many prayers going out to you from people here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Our power companies are on standby to come to your aid and many of our churches have disaster relief teams who will come in to rebuild.
I believe the original poster’s dilemma has already been resolved because her mother’s facility is being evacuated. I noticed in the original post, “I think people will think.......”. I understand completely this feeling. No matter what our circumstances, guilt seems to be ready and waiting. We usually don’t know what people really think, and only you know what would be best for you and your family. “People” don’t get to drive our decisions unless they are going to be part of the solution.
I would like to remind everyone who is in Florence’s path that they pay close attention to the storm surge warnings. The majority of deaths and destruction are not caused by wind, but by storm surge. Katrina was a Category 3 storm, but was pushing a Category 5 storm surge. If you live near the coastline, or even nearby bays, rivers, etc. check the elevation of your home. This information is usually found on county or city websites.
The worst part of a storm is the aftermath, when you may go weeks without electricity or clean water. This information should influence whether you want to pull a LO from a facility before a storm. My parents both live in a Nursing Home about 15 miles north of the coast. They are at a high elevation with generators and extra staff during and after a storm. Last year, with Hurricane Nate, it was a comfort to know they were safe, and would be in better conditions than we would have after the storm. Thankfully, it was a minimal storm.

We are in NC, so, I am concerned and anxious. My LO's MC says they have never had to evacuate. I called to check on plans and they will go to the National Guard Amory, It's likely safe, but, I'm wondering how practical that is. She is further North than I am, so, hopefully, they won't be as impacted as we are. I'm trying not to worry. I also have my own parents who are mentally okay, thought anxious prone, but, dealing with long power outages, flood waters and long periods without resources would be hard for them.....me too.

I'm saying prayers for all of those who are in the path of Florence. I've tried to prepare, but, the shelves are getting scarce. I was able to fill my gas tank yesterday. The lines were out of this world.

My mom stayed in her memory care / assisted living home for Irma (Florida). So many staff and staff family were at the facility. The director texted me to keep me informed. My mom had no recollection. They did great. I felt it would be too disruptive to take her out. My prayers are with anyone facing Florence

We stayed through Katrina with lots of lessons learned.
If your elder is in a NH, they will have a plan for moving if governor has called a mandatory evacuation for their area. If they stay with their NH group, whatever system of payment, medications and care plan will travel with them, whether it means shelter in a gym or staying at a convent or a NH in another area or even adjoining state for several days. NH retains responsibility. My MIL was in a NH in NOLA and they evacuated en masse to a hotel in Houston basically setting up a triage NH within the hotel. Couple died enroute as it is extraordinarily stressful & a couple went into freestanding hospice. Everyone on LA Medicaid folded into TX Medicaid. MILs NH did not reopen and TX medicaid caseworker found her a NH in TX & coordinated the move.

If you go and take them, everything is now your responsibility. If their old NH reopens a few days after and none the worse for wear for facility or staff. Then your elder likely goes back with no worries.
BUT if their NH gets whacked, or staff does not return as their homes got whacked, then getting them into a few NH facility will be totally on you to find a spot and provide paperwork needed. Plan on their staying & living with you till that happens.

If you get them, Taking all their medications is critical.
Trying to get refills can be challenging as the RXs are not in the database of the CVS & Walgreens. You’ll need to get new scripts.

Florence is going to be super bad witch if she stays on current course.
Storms are no picnic but they pass within a few hours. The issue is they lay bare infrastructure problems.
Best of luck folks

My Papa was in a NH for Rehab when Irma hit Florida. The staff evacuated the entire facility to a high school gymnasium. They were there for 2 nights, sleeping on cots. Bless those employees! What a job that must have been!

If assisted living has an evacuation plan, I would let them handle it. They train frequently for just this type of situation. Stay safe up there!

Riverdale,
My thoughts are still with you. I popped by here today looking for your post.

Glad to hear your Mom is being evacuated.

I think I read your home is in Virginia and certainly not out of harms way. Strong structures and brick buildings are vulnerable to roof damage from high winds. I speak from experience. There’s also the chance of downed power lines and being without power for days/weeks. Another reason not to bring your Mom into your home.

Again, my thoughts are with you, your family, your Mom, and all Caregivers and their loved ones in the path of this storm.

My only other suggestion is if you are in an area that orders mandatory evacuations seriously consider evacuating yourself.

My my dad, 95, went to a special needs Center which he said was like the Four Seasons Hotel. They took wonderful care of him. Find out about Arrangements by the special needs facet of your area or where your mother would be evacuated to. These are professionals who will take very special care of your mother, something you could not do. My dad actually enjoyed the people he met there.

We should also pray for the first responders, those having to "resurrect" fallen power lines, etc., and everyone who will be responsible for clean up along the coast and inland. Their families also want them safe as they do their jobs and help those in need.

My parents were always well cared for in their AL and NC facilities. When the power went out for us, they always had a generator (that kept their rooms warm in the winter storms and cool in the summer hurricane season). They didn't live on the coast, so there was no evacuation plans. I can only imagine the added stress this is for the staff, the residents (who don't like changes), and the families.

I am praying for all who will be affected by this storm. Even in my area (far from the coast, but in upper S.C.) we're being told that our power will likely go out and there may be flooding with lots of rain. I have an aunt and uncle in AL facility and pray that they will be safe and secure during this storm. Moving them right now would be a huge problem as my uncle is so unhappy and this would just add to his unhappiness.

Having an elderly person in your home if they are not very mobile is NOT a good idea. My mother (who has Alzheimer's) lives with us full time and we have many safety precautions, and have made many adaptations for my mother's needs. However, as the hurricane approaches we are thinking through everything that she will need in the event of an almost certain power outage. We have plug in night lights for my mother's room because she wanders at night so we had to by a lantern for emergencies and to illuminate her room. We do not have a whole house generator but bought a potable one that we can use to plug into her chair lift to get her upstairs to her room at night. Someone with dementia does not understand how to adapt and they can be confused, disoriented and a danger to themselves. Consider their habits...do they close the bathroom door? Will there be light in there? Do they wet themselves and require numerous changes of clothes? Is there enough clean linen and clothing to last several days without washing? What hot foods do they need and how will you prepare them without power? My mother watches TV all day or sits outside on the screened porch neither of which will be available to her in a hurricane or heavy storm. How will we entertain her? What will she do when we are sitting around reading books by candlelight? Do we have enough diapers for her? What else are we forgetting? These are things that each family must think about and customize their preparedness accordingly. Medications, supplies, etc. that are required for an elderly person needs to be stored in adequate supply so if you can't get out of your house for several days you will have enough to sustain a parent. So, if you have a choice, let the professionals handle it.

Thanks all for the answers. My mother is being evacuated with her facility today. We are near the coast but the news inland is also bad. The facility has been very helpful. My mother is overweight and has a host of health issues. If we suffer badly here at our home it would be very hard to get her help. Or impossible. Hoping for the best for all of us this week.

I live in NOLA and saw the devastation from Katrina. My aunt was in a senior living center and refused to leave with us. They chose not to evacuate because they were 6 stories high but once the water began to cover the stairs on the first floor they had to get the National Guard to get them out. Many had to swim to boats and were taken to overcrowded shelters where they were confused and scared. We could not locate my aunt for over a week. Thankfully my cousin is a police officer and was able to track down where she was taken. Just make absolutely sure of their plans. Many hard lessons were learned from Katrina. I don't mean to frighten you but I just want to encourage you to confirm with the facility how and when they intend on leaving and to where. I would also get the personal cell numbers of those in charge. Remember in a major hurricane cell phones can go down. I personally would take my mother with me but it depends on your ability to care for her and how confident you are in the facility. Sending prayers to the East Coast,

There is no guarantee that your home will be spared and the AL would be destroyed.

It is my understanding that if an evacuation is necessary, AL will make all the arrangements - and they would contact you directly if they wish you to come get your mother.

Yes my father’s NH was evacuated last year from Hillsborough Co to Pinellas Co. The entire move happened by bus and by ambulances. My dad was ambulatory with a walker. Slept on a mattress on the floor for two nights. He didn’t like it, his schedule was way off. But they were all safe! I think think the staff were extra accommodating. There were many things I didn’t like about the regular staff on a daily basis but their true colors came through during the hurricane. The staff that was there stayed throughout the whole thing; they never left.

Great question.. My Dad is in independent care at an all levels facility, in Virginia beach. He's always lived close to ocean and never evacuated, but now at this facility, it is odfly in a zone that has mandatory evacuation. Though this facility is not at the beach, all brick, no big trees. It's so much safer than where I am in Richmond...I'm assuredloss of power. Old trees, overhead lines. I'll be talking to him soon, but I am afraid he'll want to drive here! I'll say NO. He's 93, only drives a block or so to store..this is interstate, and I'm guaranteed to lose power. For days. I'd love it if I lived at his place, as they have generators for dining rooms, and people! And workers! I dredthe conversation. But, I have read nursing care type facilities have their own evacuation plans. I am hoping, and pretty sure they'll be allowed to stay in place. It would be a nightmare to take the hospital and nursing care patients out. A d where would they go? This Florence is to be widespread. They are having a meeting at 1, so I'll find out more then. But my fear is my dad's own misguided wishes. He needs to let them take care of him. He's unable to drive here, but he doesn't think so...and it's unsafe in my old town and home. Why cant he appreciate he's in a safer place. I pray for us all in NC and VA..

We had a hurricane once while my mom was in a nursing home. It was expected to be bad but the facility gave residents families the choice of what to do. My dad (younger and far healthier then) chose to stay at the nursing home throughout the storm. He spent the night in my mom’s room and was a helping hand to the staff. His presence comforted my mom and made her not be anxious. I think only a few families took their loved ones away. Good luck on a plan

Thank you so much for asking this question. We live in NC and I have the same issue. My Mom would love to move in with my husband and me, and we’ve tried that. It didn’t work out well. I’m afraid if I would bring her to stay with us, we’d have a terrible time with lots of tears and upset to get her back to AL. I’m calling her AL manager today to find out what is in place. We aren’t on the coast, but a couple hours inland. It will still impact us greatly. We’re also preparing to evacuate just in case.

This is a good topic. Is her NH on the coast? Yes, it sounds good to let her go along with the facility’s overall evacuation plan - so what is that, they have another building elsewhere to go to?

Thanks for the answers. There is a very good plan in place with her facility. My mother is very anxious about it. Gave me her valuables. Told me she didn't have 2 bracelets she loved yet she had put them in with everything else. Doesn't think she can take her Depends which I told her was ridiculous as am sure most residents use them. My husband and I plan to stay put. I feel if she were with us and it became bad it could be worse for her. Yet it is hard to see her so mentally foggy. Much more so then usual.

Riverdale,

My thoughts are with you if you are in the threat area.

If you are near the coast you do need to visit with the NH and become familiar with their evacuation plan. Will their residents be bussed out and to what location. If your Mom’s NH experiences wind damage she may remain at that location for some time.

I agree, if the NH has a sound evacuation plan in place she would probably be more safe remaining with them.

I guess most importantly if your area experiences mandatory evacuations as ordered by local government, would they bus out residents?

Let’s hope Florence takes a turn and heads out to sea.🤞🏻

I don't live in hurricane country but think that in general she would probably be better off staying where she is. I'd ask some questions about how prepared her facility is to weather out a major storm such as how hurricane proof is the building and is there a generator, access to fresh water, ???

When Hurricane Irma hit Florida last year my MIL stayed in her facilty. Her place is only 2 years old so it has impact windows and a generator. They told us if they needed to evacuate that they would bus them to their sister facility. The staff stayed during the hurricane and kept them busy. It worked out perfect!