By now it’s likely that you, your staff, the residents and their families have seen the incredibly disturbing photo of assisted living residents in Dickinson, TX, sitting in waist-high floodwaters....
Organizational issues to consider in disaster planning
By
Betty Norman
Mar 01, 2013
Just as Hurricane Katrina prompted discussion about emergency preparedness in 2005, Superstorm Sandy has re-ignited talks in the senior living communities about their ability to respond to disasters. When...
Disaster communication: A tale of two mothers-in-law
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Sep 26, 2017
Both of my mothers-in-law live in long-term care communities in Florida. One lives in a place that was excellent about how they communicated with family members before, during and after Hurricane Irma....
Conducting and documenting meaningful fire drills in LTC facilities
By
Stan Szpytek
Apr 16, 2024
From some of our earliest memories in elementary school as little kids, we all recall participating in fire drills on a periodic basis. Of course, the purpose of those fire drills was to train students,...
Natural gas leak near facility highlights the importance of planning
By
Stan Szpytek
Jul 14, 2021
Incidents like the one that is about to be summarized emphasize the importance of hazard analysis as required by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services Emergency Preparedness Rule. Knowing the potential...
What’s needed in emergency preparedness
By
Mary Helen McSweeney-Feld
Feb 28, 2014
Emergency preparedness is an evolving issue for long-term care providers. While a recent study by the Office of the Inspector General found that most nursing homes nationwide met federal requirements for...
The elephant in the room: Are you prepared for the next emergency?
By
Angela Rinehart
Norris Cunningham
Sep 30, 2022
Historically, emergency preparedness programs in long-term care facilities have been less prioritized, with facilities understandably focusing on patient care and operations. But with the pandemic...
Planning for the ‘consequences’ of identified hazards at a long-term care facility
By
Stan Szpytek
Feb 26, 2024
Good emergency planning practices and regulatory compliance mandate that long-term care facilities identify the potential threats, perils, and hazards that can adversely impact operations both from an...
4 considerations for building your emergency preparedness plan
By
Diane Doherty
Jan 09, 2018
From Hurricanes Irma and Harvey to the California wildfires, there has been no shortage of extreme weather around the country.
Emergency preparedness: More than an act of paperwork
Jul 31, 2017
My phone rang and the voice said, “We are activating our incident command center.” I asked, “Is this a drill?” The voice in a solid tone replied, “This is not a drill.”