Caregivers need to have plans to cope with many types of emergencies, including power outages.
“We all need a plan for emergencies. It is especially important when you’re caring for someone who has a medical condition,” said Dawson PPD Manager of Customer Service Marsha Banzhaf. “Dawson PPD’s employees work hard to provide dependable power but some situations are beyond our control. Weather, vehicle accidents and even a spray plane accident can cause outages.”
Power outages can be as short as a blink or last several days after a catastrophic storm. A good plan adapts to the current situation. Options may be as simple as a converter plug that allows equipment to run in your vehicle or as complex as installing a standby generator.
“Telling Dawson PPD that you have medical equipment in your home does not mean that you will have uninterrupted power,” Banzhaf said. “It does not mean that an outage will be shorter than what your neighbors experience.”
“Power is restored in a very methodical way because of the electrical grid design,” she continued. “The goal is to restore power to large groups of customers first. Individual outages may take longer to restore. Some storms cause damage in multiple areas, which generally means the outage will be longer.”
Contact your home health care provider for specific information about the equipment used in your home. They can help you customize a plan.