Note: The posts in this series were adopted from a regional “hurricane preparedness” resource packet developed by the South Florida Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SFSCIMS) that can be downloaded in .pdf here.
An overlooked part of the process, ensure you are comfortable with the skills in the event of emergency by practicing regularly. The following is a suggested list of some of the skills you may consider in case of an emergency. Please note this list is not exhaustive.
- Giving instructions to new caregivers for assists that are unique to your needs.
- Using a manual chair instead of a powered chair due to anticipated power outages. For example, transferring to/from manual chair or pushing manual chair.
- Setting up a wheelchair into “sleeping mode” in case you evacuate and have limited or insufficient access to a bed and/or to more safely transfer into a bed.
- Self-care routines in your normal chair without normal bathroom accessories.
- Unique transfer techniques in the event you must enter a new vehicle, bed, toilet, etc.
More Resources –
Use this online Florida Disaster Get a Plan website to build your disaster emergency plan. This website help you create a plan based on your residing county. Be sure to select the “Special Needs” category before proceeding.
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