When you or someone you know and live with is medically fragile, any change in your routine can be unsettling. So if you live in a place where there’s the potential for a power outage, which is everywhere, it’s important that you think through the impact that this could have on the health of that medically fragile person. In most cases, there are things that you can do to ensure that a loss of power doesn’t negatively impact their health too much.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for managing power outages when someone’s medically fragile.
Talk To Your Doctor
When someone is medically fragile, they’re going to have one—if not more—doctor that is very involved with their care. They’re going to know all about what this person needs in order to stay safe, both at the best of times and at the worst of times. So while you’re trying to figure out how to stay safe during a power outage, it’s ideal to call your care team and see what advice they have to offer.
Your doctor has likely given out advice and information about these kinds of things to many other patients, so they already know how to make sure all of the bases are covered. They’ll be able to help you with things like keeping your medications cold if necessary, using battery packs for medical devices, and so much more.
Prepare Backup Power For Your Medical Devices
For those who use medical devices as part of their care plan, experiencing a power outage can be very scary. While some devices might have their own backup battery for times like this, having another plan in place will help to ensure that there’s no lapse in care.
As a good fail-safe, having a generator that you can use to keep medical devices running or even switching over to solar power for your home so you don’t have to rely so much on the power grid during power outages can be a very wise idea. This way, you can always have access to the electricity you need for your medical devices.
Find Ways To Keep Your Phone Charged
Having access to a working phone is vital for many people who are medically fragile, especially if things can go south quickly and getting medical help becomes necessary.
Knowing this, it’s important to have a plan in place so that you can always have your phone charged even when there’s a power outage. You can use your car to charge your phone, get a battery-powered or solar-powered charger, or look into other options so that you can always know that communication is possible even amid a power outage.
If you or someone you know is medically fragile and a power outage could complicate care at home, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how to work around this.
