Storm spurs review by health officials
SEATTLE – As public-health officials review emergency response after the Dec. 14 windstorm that left about a million Western Washington homes and businesses without power, one area they hope to improve is communications with nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.
No nursing home deaths have been connected to the weather, but before the next storm, King County health officials hope to add nursing home checks to their emergency plans.
Public Health-Seattle & King County improvised last week – contacting all large licensed long-term-care facilities in the county to see how they were doing and to offer help. They also established the county’s first emergency shelter for medically fragile older adults in the cafeteria of Bellevue Community College.
They found that many nursing homes and assisted-living facilities were well prepared for the weather emergency. Others were given emergency supplies, including blankets, heaters and fuel.
“Everything we were doing was making sure we could save lives,” said James Apa, a spokesman for Public Health.
Although no nursing home deaths were connected to the weather, the storm left many elderly and frail residents uncomfortable, cold and confused. And not every senior home was checked; the public health department did not call adult family homes that care for six or fewer residents.
The ones who did get a call said it made them feel more secure, and those who didn’t get help are wondering why.
“I called the Red Cross and asked them to bring some help – extra blankets or kerosene heaters,” said Alex Tarasova, who operates two adult family homes in Kenmore. “They said, ‘We do not supply anything like that.’ “
On Friday, Gov. Christine Gregoire called for a full review of how emergency managers and personnel responded to the windstorm, including whether “elderly citizens, as well as persons with disabilities and special needs, received appropriate help.”
All licensed long-term-care nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and adult family homes are required to have evacuation plans, infection-control procedures and extra food, water and medication in the event of a disaster.
But only nursing homes must have generators.
Last summer, largely in response to Katrina, the state’s Residential Care Services agency sponsored multiple daylong emergency-preparedness seminars for providers.
“It may not be a hurricane,” said Denny McKee, a Residential Care Services manager who coordinated the training. “But it easily could be an earthquake or other things like what we’re experiencing now.”
Long-term-care facilities are expected to be prepared to get along on their own for several days in a disaster, and to report serious emergencies such as an evacuation to the state’s complaint hotline.
Public Health-Seattle & King County found that a number of nursing homes and assisted-living facilities “had neither power or heat” after the storm, said spokesman Apa. Many did have generators, but at least a dozen places needed assistance.
In Kenmore, some adult family home owners turned to churches to find people who had generators to loan. Then members who are electricians assisted in connecting the generators properly.
Emerald Heights, a Redmond retirement community, had a generator to heat its assisted-living and skilled-nursing areas. But the independent-living apartments stayed cold. By week’s end, about half those apartments had emptied as residents temporarily moved in with children or friends.
“I think we did very well. Can we do better? Sure,” said Rick Milsow, vice president for health services at Emerald Heights.
A nursing home in North Bend evacuated most of its residents to Public Health’s shelter in Bellevue when its generator failed and a replacement could not be found.