A hearing conducted by the state Commission on Aging Monday revealed that like most residents, the state’s elderly may have had a very difficult time communicating with utilities and each other, but nonetheless fared well during the week-long plus power outages associated with Tropical Storm Irene.
The hearing was chaired by CoA Executive Director Julia Evans Starr and attended by numerous state agencies and private organizations that provide elder care. Discussions on the reaction to Storm Irene revealed that whether living in nursing homes, assisted living facilities or home care, Connecticut’s elderly proved to be remarkably resilient and for the most part weathered the weather without major difficulties.
Ron Winter
This mirrored the situation experienced in the Winter home where my 94-year-old mother was concerned about how we would cook and find water for the toilets, but was reassured that we could – and did – cook on the outdoor grill with a side burner that came in very handy, and we had enough water in the swimming pool for more than 4,000 flushes.
Once she realized that we had already stockpiled drinking water and dried food Mom relaxed and was totally in her element as she recounted tales of hurricanes from the distant past when she lived on her father’s farm in upstate New York.
According to input at the CoA hearing nursing homes across the state were in good shape to care for their residents despite the power outages. This probably is to be expected since nursing homes are self-contained communities and so long as they have their own generators to provide power – as do most facilities where medical care is provided – there is little that would disrupt the daily routines once the storm has passed.
Rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes, and Alzheimer’s homes usually provide not only housing, but also medical care, food services, recreation and socialization opportunities in a community setting that can be self-reliant to a great degree. Power on – programs go forward.
Such facilities face the same difficulties as other businesses during prolonged power outages, such the need for delivery of supplies – food, medical and housekeeping to name a few – and the difficulties staff encounter when travelling to work. Otherwise, they can continue on with delivery of services while others are fretting over spoiled food and finding shower opportunities.
But the same appeared to be the case for those elderly who are being cared for at home, whether their own or family members’, and those who receive hospice care.
Deb Hoyt, the President and CEO of the Connecticut Association for Homecare and Hospice gave a report similar to that provided by the nursing homes – that the elderly may have been inconvenienced but made it through what to many was just another bump in the road.
That is not to say all was peaches and cream. The commission also heard of extreme difficulties faced by long-term caregivers getting bounced back and forth between the utilities, emergency management personnel, the Red Cross and local shelters.
The point was made repeatedly that no one was being blamed for the communications difficulties encountered during Storm Irene, but they did exist and additional meetings of other state agencies will address those concerns.
I’m really not that surprised at the strength of our seniors and the ability of our state to respond to their needs both in the government and private sectors. We have a broad range of agencies devoted to the well being of the elderly and it is obvious that they stood tall when needed in an emergency.
One last thing regarding Storm Irene: I noticed that when we got to the third or fourth day without power my mother’s sleeping schedule began to mirror the normal rhythms of the sun. Mom likes to watch community television in the early evening, especially if Celtic Women or Irish tenors are singing, and then she catches some news before she goes to sleep, usually around 10 p.m.
But with light provided by candles inside and a camp lantern outside, apparently there was no artificial stimulus to keep her awake. So by Wednesday after the storm, once the sun went down, she went to bed!
Actually, I found that I was similarly affected. No television to watch, no computer to work on, just some really fun games of Rummy with my daughter by candlelight. But we got to nodding off earlier than usual too, and sleeping more soundly. Maybe we’re on to something here.
