Are You Ready for an Emergency? Get a Plan!: Four Essential Tips / Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias
The Caregiver's Journey
Sue Ryan and Nancy Treaster
5 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 14 January 2025
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
When you’re caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia, worries can keep you up at night — but they don’t help you. Through our conversation with Denise Brown, we’ve learned having a solid emergency plan helps calm your worries, reduce your fears, and provide you with peace of mind.
Full Show Notes
Additional Resources Mentioned
Slides used in episode here
Caring Our Way community here
Family Emergency Plan space on Caring Our Way here
Schedule of free planning sessions with consultant here
Takeaways
Tip 1: Name Your Worry
The first step in creating an emergency plan is identifying specific concerns that keep you up at night. Denise's Family Emergency Plan includes eight categories of common caregiver worries:
- Delays
- Health emergencies
- Hospitalizations
- Behavioral challenges
- Transportation issues
- Medication management
- Care coordination
- Communication needs
Tip 2: Develop Your Plan
Once you've identified your concerns, it's time to create actionable plans. Remember that plans can take many forms:
- Written instructions
- Maps or diagrams
- Medication lists
- Contact information
- Behavior management strategies
- Transportation arrangements
Tip 3: Communicate Your Plan
Effective communication ensures everyone involved understands their role. Consider multiple methods of sharing information:
- Written letters or emails
- Shared online documents
- In-person meetings
- Physical copies in accessible locations
- Regular updates and reminders
Tip 4: Update Your Plan Regularly
Emergency plans should evolve as circumstances change. Watch for these common triggers that signal the need for updates:
- Changes in your care recipient's condition
- New diagnoses or medications
- Shifts in your own availability
- Family member changes
- Service provider updates
- Transitions to palliative or hospice care
About Our Guest Expert
Denise Brown founded the Caring Our Way community to support family caregivers. The community offers free resources, including:
- Monthly planning sessions
- Family Care Manager course
- Downloadable planning templates
- Online support spaces
- Access to certified caregiving consultants
You can find these resources at caringourway.com.
Read More in This Blog here
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is the Whole Care Network, helping you tell your story one podcast at a time. |
| 0:16.3 | Content presented in the following podcast is for information purposes only. |
| 0:22.7 | Views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests |
| 0:28.1 | and may not represent the views and opinions of the Whole Care Network. |
| 0:33.2 | Always consult with your physician for any medical advice. |
| 0:36.8 | And always consult with your attorney for any legal advice. And always consult with your attorney for any legal advice. |
| 0:40.5 | And thank you for listening to the Whole Care Network. |
| 0:52.7 | Do you want to calm your worries and sleep better at night? Of course you do. Every worry needs a plan, |
| 1:00.8 | and that's what we're going to talk about today. In this episode, Sue and I are talking with |
| 1:05.9 | Denise Brown from the Caring Our Way community. We're going to talk about how to create a plan to calm those worries. |
| 1:16.2 | And we're going to focus specifically in this episode on family emergency plans. |
| 1:22.1 | Denise and Sue, let's get started. |
| 1:25.5 | Welcome. We're Sue Ryan and Nancy Treister. |
| 1:29.1 | This podcast brings our years of experience in a variety of family caregiving roles to prepare you to navigate your caregiving journey. |
| 1:36.6 | We're sharing our personal experiences, not medical advice, and because it's our passion to support you on your journey, we believe no topic is on limits. |
| 1:46.6 | Let's get started. |
| 1:52.1 | Denise, it is such an honor to have you with us today sharing. |
| 1:57.2 | Your messages have touched so many lives, and many of our listeners may already know you. |
| 2:02.2 | Let me introduce you a little bit, and then I'd like you to give some background. |
| 2:05.5 | You began your journey of helping people who help family members back in 1990. |
| 2:12.9 | It began your first of several businesses in 1995 and are here today representing your |
| 2:19.5 | caring our way community. Tell us a little bit about this community you've created. |
... |
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