TAMPA – The Byrd Research Institute – along with Hillsborough County’s Departments of Aging Services and Emergency Management; the county’s Special Needs Shelter; the American Red Cross; and the Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT – will prepare caregivers with a plan for this year’s hurricane season. These experts join the Byrd Institute to help caregivers understand the special needs, fears, and coping behaviors they are likely to face when preparing for, living through, and recovering from a hurricane.

“The 2nd annual event gives caregivers the information they need when facing the challenge of providing care for a loved one during a disaster. Loved ones with special needs, such as Alzheimer’s disease, require more preparation. These high-stress situations can lead to risky upsetting behaviors, such as wandering, agitation, and surprising emotional outbursts,” says Melanie Meyer, Byrd Institute Chief of External Affairs.

The Hurricane Preparedness Seminar is
Saturday, July 14, 2007
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Westshore Senior Center
4102 W. Spruce St. Tampa, FL 33607

Respite provided to caregivers at no cost. Giveaways and refreshments will also be provided. Space is limited. RSVP by calling Jennifer Whelihan at 813-319-4115.

Here are a few helpful tips that will be presented:

1. How to get yourself and the person with Alzheimer's to a safe place.
2. How to alert others (family, friends, and medical personnel) that you are changing locations, and give them your contact information. Contact them as regularly as you can as you move.
3. Be sure there are people other than the primary caregiver who have copies of the person’s medical history, medications, and physician information.
4. Purchase extra medications.

Basic checklist for Alzheimer’s caregivers:

• Prepare a hurricane supply kit.
• Prepare activity supplies for your loved one.
• Register in advance for the Special Needs Registry.
• Enroll your loved one in an ID bracelet program.
• Write down a safety plan.
• Be aware of behavioral signs, like agitation, and have appropriate interventions in mind.
• Get to know your neighbors.

Do

Maintain a normal routine if possible.

Anticipate needs of your loved one, such as the need for medications, water and food.

Avoid continuous viewing/listening to news about the weather or aftermath of a hurricane.

Make sure your loved one wears his ID bracelet at all times.

Involve your loved one in enjoyable activities to divert attention away from the catastrophic event.

Utilize respite at long-term care centers to give yourself time to restore your home after a storm.

Don't

Don’t argue or try to reason with your loved one.

Don’t force your loved one to do something he does not want to do.

Don’t let your loved one walk or drive away from home during the recovery after a hurricane. Even familiar routes will look different, and many injuries occur post-storm.

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the loss of brain cells and their connections. Alzheimer’s disease currently affects 4.5 million Americans. By the middle of this century, as many as 14 million of today’s baby boomers could have AD.

Signs of the disease usually become evident after 65 years of age, initially as a loss of short-term memory for events that occurred a few minutes earlier. Over the disease’s time course of 2 to 20 years, cognitive impairment expands to involve long-term memory and language skills. Eventually, all aspects of intellect are lost.

The mission of the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute is to prevent and cure Alzheimer’s disease. Created in 2002 by the Florida Legislature, the Institute is dedicated to supporting and coordinating the tremendous research, expertise and creative vision of scientific professionals all over Florida.

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