Creating an emergency plan
For many carers, life cannot simply be put on hold when emergencies happen as the person they are looking after relies on them for vital support. It is recommended that all carers create a plan for these particular instances – for you and the person you look after. Having a plan in place can help ease your worries and provide reassurance.
For many the word emergency conjures up thoughts of disaster, injury or illness, but an emergency can be as simple as being stuck in traffic with no phone signal and unable to pick the person you care for up from an appointment. We all think we will always be there but sometimes things arise that mean we can’t. In these instances having an emergency plan in place can help to alleviate both carer stress and distress for the person you support.
An emergency plan should:
- Be a live document that is updated regularly
- Provide information necessary for the initial 72 hours following an emergency
- Contain the name, address and contact details of the person you care for
- Contain the name and contact details of who should be contacted in an emergency, and what this person will be able to do (if you name someone in your emergency plan it’s important that you discuss this with them first)
- Contain the details of any medications, ongoing treatment, and routines of the person you care for
- Be shared with relevant people, such as your named contacts, your GP, your neighbours, or day centre.
ENABLE Scotland has created a template that can help you to create your emergency plan and guide conversations around this which you can download from the Enable website.
Although you may be able to arrange an emergency plan with friends and family it can be reassuring to have the involvement of your local council in case informal arrangements fall through or the duration of the emergency is likely to last longer than 72 hours. One way to do this is through requesting an Adult Carer Support Plan or Young Carers Statement. Get in touch with a VOCAL Carer Support Practitioner to put an Adult Carer Support Plan in place.
Emergency cards
VOCAL has produced a Carer Emergency Card (available to download below) which allows carers and the person you care for to carry important information for use in emergencies:
The cards can be carried in a wallet or handbag and allow carers to include personal information, details of the person they care for and emergency contacts. This information is vital when unexpected events, such as accidents or sudden illness, occur.
Edinburgh carers can also request a similar card service through the City of Edinburgh Council by calling Social Care Direct (0131 200 2324) and requesting a carer’s emergency card application – more information can be found on the Edinburgh Council website.
