Non-Medical Emergencies
Emergency Preparedness is something that is easy to forget about when we talk about dialysis. I for one didn’t think about it much at all until I attended a seminar on it this week that NxStage hosted for in-home patients and their care partners/teams.
I realized that not only have we been unable to dialyze mom due to a natural hazard, but that I didn’t have a plan for if a true disaster hit again. We’ve taken some steps, like upgrading our car to an SUV and moving mom in with us so inclement weather doesn’t keep us from getting to her. That doesn’t really mean we have a plan though, just that we have made sure we can get her where she needs to go.
NxStage has a great PDF for planning here.
I have adapted it into a download that is available here on the site too, but here are some of my takeaways from their training:
Have an emergency bag by the door that you can grab and take with you that has all the supplies you would need for one week. This should be cycled every month or two to make sure that nothing expires, never go longer than 6 months without cycling it.
Share your emergency plan and packing list with your care team, and maybe a few family members. This makes it where you have it written down, and someone else who can read off your list to make sure you have everything you need if you are panicked.
Have all your numbers (dialysis clinic/doctor/power company/water company/etc.) in multiple locations so you can access them when you aren’t home. I keep ours in a Google Drive Sheet, so I can access it from any computer and my phone.
Stay calm. You aren’t the first dialysis patient to go through a natural disaster, you won’t be the last. There is a network of people there to help you so you don’t miss a dialysis session if possible.
I hope this reminder and the worksheets are helpful to you. I’m packing us a bag this week, I’ll share pictures on this post when I have them.
