As we return from the holidays, Friday Field Notes continues touring concentration areas of OneOp and highlighting resources related to disaster preparedness. This week’s focus is on the OneOp Military Caregiving (MFLNMC) concentration area. MFLNMC works diligently to provide professional development opportunities to service providers working with caregivers of wounded service members, as well as those caring for individuals with special needs.
If you are a caregiver, then you are probably well-versed in the unique situations that your loved ones can face. In the event of a disaster, however, they may need individualized emergency plans that include medication lists, wearing medical alert bracelets, refilling prescriptions beforehand, and arranging help getting to an accessible shelter just to name a few considerations. To prepare yourself and loved ones for emergencies, you can first become familiar with some of the resources offered by MFLNMC, such as Caregiving 101 – Special Needs, Caregiving 101 – Wounded Warriors, and information on Medicare/Medicaid and TRICARE.
You can also find credible disaster information specifically for individuals with disabilities from TRICARE, NOAA, FEMA, and the CDC in order to better help caregivers prepare before a disaster strikes with checklists, personal stories from caregivers, and tips to help make enacting a disaster plan as smooth as possible.
Though we hope that disasters do not strike often, having a plan in place beforehand is important for families everywhere, especially those with special needs. MFLNMC has fantastic resources for service providers working with caregivers and their loved ones. Keep up with the concentration area by subscribing to their newsletter, and viewing webinars and timely blog posts.
Next week, we will continue Friday Field Notes by taking a look at the Early Intervention (EI) team and their resources for preparing children for emergency situations.
