Universal Design: Emergency Planning

We know the emergency prep basics but what would make them more universal design? The short answer is, not much. If you have a universal design environment, you’re in good shape. Where emergency planning might be more universal design is in its thorough application and in you actually being prepared.

Emergency preparedness is like flossing: we know what it is and how to do it, but, we don’t. My favorite guideline for flossing is this, floss only the teeth you want to keep. Emergency planning is the same, prepare for the lives you want to keep. Below are a few additional emergency considerations that you would consider.

Medications: Have ample supply – at least 5 days. Find out if, where and how you would get refills.
Medical Records: Your medical info, including doctors can be kept on portable media be it a flash drive, CD or even a SmartPhone. Don’t leave without this life saving info.
Outbreaks: Yikes! But, yes, they are a potential emergency that you might have to respond to. Have your masks and other protective equipment including safe practices.
Home Care: If you have home care, how does your emergency plans mesh with theirs – would they be there to help you? If not, what’s your contingency plan? Who else knows how to operate your equipment or organize your meds?
Priority Care: In some places, utility companies can register you as a priority care customer, one whose services are restored sooner typically because you rely on specialized equipment.
Evacuation: If you will have to evacuate, how far will you have to go, who will go with you, how will you go, and what accommodations will be available when you get there? Make sure enough people know you and will check in to see that you are on your way to safety. If there is time, lock up.
Go-Bag: Remember at the end of pregnancy you had your hospital bag by the door? Same thing, it’s a bag with essentials ready to go: copies of important documents and keys, cash, credit and ATM card duplicates, supply of water and food, radio, food, flashlight, batteries, appropriate cloths and footwear, contact info, medical info, hygiene, animal supplies, and personal info card.
Stay-Put Emergencies: Some emergencies are best survived by staying put. Have fuel, food, meds, water, first aid, etc. to survive 5 days or more.
Meeting Points: Prearrange meeting points with families, friends and caregivers. Have a nearby point for local emergencies and far away ones when escaping larger disasters such as hurricanes. Leave a trail, meaning, make it possible for others to find you by leaving messages. If heading for a disaster shelter, bring everything; if that’s not possible, bring any special equipment or medicine.
Egress: Maybe you can only use one entrance because another one has become difficult or impossible. If a disaster blocks one entrance, what are your alternatives? Make sure you can get out fast; practice. Get that non-functioning entrance to work. For office and apartment buildings, not only learn the evacuation procedure but take advantage of building and floor marshals by alerting them to any special needs (or your willingness to look after someone else). If you can’t get yourself out, have a refuge spot where it’s safer to wait until help arrives.
Communication: Don’t count on that cell phone. It might work, but what’s your contingency plan if it doesn’t? If it does work, how will you keep it charged? Have a radio; either have lots of batteries or a hand-crank model (some can charge a cell phone). Stay tuned!
Fuel: Have enough. For a generator, have at least 5 days – more if you are in an excessively cold or hot environment or if you depend on life supporting equipment. When evacuating, have plenty of gas for the car.
Pets: Plan for their needs. Have an info chip inserted into your pet. These are safer and more effective in reuniting you with your pet.
Nature: Do you live in a naturally volatile area? Hurricanes? Earthquakes? Tornados? Blizzards? How about volcanoes? Each poses it’s own set of survival criteria. Reach out to local resources, discover what you need to survive, and get the supplies and the plan.
Disabilities: What’s yours? What will you need? Who will help or understand?
Children: Just like the airplane, take care of your well-being first so that you are strong enough to take care of them.
Cash: Don’t count on ATM’s; have plenty of cash for an emergency.

Did I miss anything? Sure I did. This isn’t a complete list. Go local for a complete list. Check with your government resources, AARP, Red Cross and other organizations that you are connected to that either have resources or can direct you. Take notes from this list. Keep questions handy and get answers. And finally, do it – be prepared.



Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
October 23, 2009
Universal Design Resource
Join Universal Design Network at LinkedIn

Universal Design: Geriatric Planning

With forethought and planning, you can recognize and then optimize the ability to enjoy life, reduce chances of hospitalization or institutionalization, and continue independent living. This might be for yourself or for someone you care for such as a parent, spouse or sibling. Consider this endeavor as meaningful as having a life savings and a fully paid mortgage.

Where To Begin:
--- Start with an overview: Are there changes in physical or mental health? What medications are being taken, and as directed? Daily living skills – any area becoming a concern such as meal prep or phone use? Personal hygiene? Home and community safety? Finances? Social contact? And, engagement with day-to-day living?
--- If you are the care provider, check in with yourself, how are you managing? Has the responsibility of care become stressful?
--- If you are renovating, building or relocating, this is an excellent time to build for future need (it’s pennies on the dollar).
--- Finally, search the internet using the term, “geriatric case manager” or “geriatric assessment.” This will help launch you into what will be a collaborative process with a knowledgeable and experienced specialist who will support you in the planning and implementation tailored to your needs. Costs vary from $50 - $200 per hour (typically an out-of-pocket expense). This initial expense buys long-term savings achieved through efficiency and cost-effective solutions.

What Will Be Considered:
--- You and your manager will discuss care-planning based on present need, anticipated need, cost, quality, benefit eligibility, legal considerations, confidentiality, advocacy, resources, scheduling, monitoring and implementation. The purpose is to optimize the maximum level of wellness both in the present and in the future.

What You Want To Verify:
--- Determine your own needs: consultation, assessment or ongoing care.
--- Before hiring a geriatric planning agency or individual, discuss the following: certification, cost (immediate and ongoing), availability, other credentials and experience, your specific needs, resource network and references. A word of caution: this is a fast growing business with minimal consumer protection.

Helpful Websites:
--- National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers
--- AARP (articles and links)
--- Family Caregivers Alliance


Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
October 9, 2009
Universal Design Resource
Join Universal Design Network at LinkedIn

Universal Design: Technology

What are some of the technologies that support universal design (and aging-in-place)?

PERS (personal emergency response system): These are those medical devices that you wear at home that link to a central station where help can be dispatched quickly; these little devices give you and loved ones great peace of mind … if you wear them and are conscious and able enough to push the button.

GPS (global positioning system): My teenager is zipping off on a new dirt bike; he doesn’t have to work hard to find trouble. If he’s as little as one mile away and something happens, I got a tough job tracking him down. A GPS gadget saves the day. I can go with one of the pet dog models that sends a constant signal to a handheld, or, I can get two handsets that are linked. Now, I know where he is and can rescue him quickly.

Computer Check-in: A person logs onto a site and uploads their condition; this can be as simple as, “I’m fine today,” to, “I took a, b and c meds this morning and ate x, y and c for breakfast.” One can marry the computer to a device such as a blood pressure monitor thus eliminating trips to the doctor.

Telehealth or Telemedicine: Automatic devices installed in the home and connected via internet or phone can monitor and in some cases predict your status leading to faster help or preemptive actions. For example, a sensor watches for very sudden movement suggesting that a fall might have taken place. These devices tend to serve very specific purposes and locations; it is important to apply them appropriately otherwise they become an ignored or turned off gadget (think about that smoke detector in the kitchen with its battery removed). Other systems involve your activity on a computer doing some fun exercise while in the background a program monitors your behavior catching noticeable shifts.

Wii: Yes, guess what? This electronic toy is finding greater success among adults than kids! Improve hand-to-eye coordination, heart health, balance and metabolism, AND, have fun. I hear of World Cup championships taking place in senior homes.

Remote Socializing: The computer is also an excellent social tool. I knew one grandparent who had zero interest in learning the computer. One day she saw Skype, a free internet telephone and videophone application, and she got hooked. She talks to her grandkids every night closing a physical distance of many thousand miles.

Improved design, performance and availability: Many gadgets were a disaster. A bathroom hoist designed to move you from a wheelchair to a bathtub used to be a nightmare. It was expensive, cumbersome and not safe or user friendly. Today they can be incorporated into a home appearing almost invisible, wirelessly controlled, and elegant to use.

RFID: That scratchy plastic thing you discover halfway through wearing a new shirt? It’s a radio frequency tag. Right now, it’s mostly about you not leaving the store with an unpurchased item. But soon, you will just walk out minus standing at the check-out. That radio frequency ID tag is on every item in your shopping cart and in your credit card. It all gets scanned on your way out. In your home, you’ll see applications that generate your grocery list, or, in some cases, your grocery list automatically goes to the store and generates a delivery. Never run out of milk? How about that!

Remote Controls: The oldest remote control in our home was the thermostat. Right? That was it (oh, maybe a day/night light switch for you early adopters). Now, we have a remote for everything! Expect this trend to continue, as more and more home actions will be controlled remotely. This will include lighting, improved temperature control, hands-free communication, entry and alarm systems, cooking operations, etc. (although I hope they start to improve the design of the remotes for intuitive understanding and clear function control).

As we look to the future, let’s not forget past technology that already entered our culture as a result of meeting the needs of people who were/are not fully able-bodied. These include close captioning on your TV. Originally for the deaf, it now allows a much greater number of users to watch TV in a noisy location such as an airport or bar. Luggage on wheels, speakerphones, garage door openers, ramps and people movers all were made to help a few and in turn helped us all. This very much is the spirit of universal design.

In closing, don’t forget about the many low-tech applications of universal design, simple things like a bench outside your front door. It’s the experience of independent living that brings joy, not another gadget.



Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
September 23, 2009
Universal Design Resource
Join Universal Design Network at LinkedIn

Universal Design: Born Again

Have you raised a child?

I often wonder what I learned in school that was so great: geometry, endless history, exotic authors, extreme science? After years of school there was so much practical stuff that I didn’t know: how to cook, nutrition, conflict resolution, and child rearing. Simply bizarre, even absurd, that it was assumed that I would instinctually know what to do when shepherding a little being along the path to adulthood. Well, the good thing about school is that I did learn where to find information – the library!

If you raised a child and went to the library to find out how, you would encounter a tsunami of information. The same is true in a bookstore – aisles of books. On the internet, fogedaboutit! When bringing a newborn home from the hospital, there are tons (literally) of information.

There is another time when we bring a being either into our home or into our neighborhood; it’s when we have a parent who would benefit from the extra care we can provide when they are close by. What prepares us for this? Nothing. So, back to the library (bookstore or internet). Woops! Slight problem – no information! No tons of books on the topic – not even one pound!

I’m all about universal design and advocating its wide adoption. I have the books – most of them. They occupy a whopping 15 inches on my bookshelf! That’s it, and, many are out of print. I’ve bookmarked the websites on this topic, same deal – just a handful. You are gonna stumble when trying to get useful information – chances are you don't know where to start (hint: Universal Design Resource and AARP).

OK, we do have more babies than we have parents moving back close to home. But, this is changing. Demographic and economic factors are rapidly putting us sandwichers into barely getting one being out of the house when another comes in. And so it is. But, this absence of info makes it really hard. I have to make every mistake the person did before me and those that follow will have to repeat my mistakes. Meanwhile there is all the suffering that comes as a result of an ill prepared transition.

So, that’s the way it is for now. Change will come and authors will step up to meet this rising demand for good advice. There will be a Dr. Spock for adults caring for their elders. For now, hang in there. Write a blog, share your experience, join a support group. I’m busy finishing a book on universal design and in it is a section that addresses this concern. You’ll get some help evaluating a house or apartment, a neighborhood and how to transition a full and complete life including social connections and medical ones. If you have thoughts to share, please contact me or post a comment.



Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
September 11, 2009
Universal Design Resource
Join Universal Design Network at LinkedIn

Universal Design: Geriatric Planning

I don’t really do something that we are all supposed to do: I don’t have a fire emergency plan for my home – not really.

I live in an attached-house part of town and know my neighbors, as do my kids. There’s a lots of people just a few doors up and down my block. A fire happens and we’ll be out front checking on each other – that’s the way it’s happened when there were other fires.

We also are loaded up with cell phones. I have plenty of smoke detectors and a few fire extinguishers. We all know the way out of the house and there are two exits to most parts of the house, even the basement. I’m attentive to these emergency plans but also winging it. I’ve thought things through but I’m also stumbling along. I have a lot of trust that things won’t go wrong. We’re all able bodied. If a school teacher were to grade me, I’d be a C+.

I should have a thorough assessment. I should have a plan. I should review it annually. I should do fire drills. I should share it with my neighbors. I should be at least an A-.

That’s fire. What about getting older? Same thing, but I’m not as prepared. Right now, I might be thinking about having enough cash and a suitable environment so that I can be mostly independent. Like the fire plan, I am basically in good shape – but not really on top of it. My geriatric plan is barely a passing grade.

What about 10-20 or 30 years down the road? I should begin to have a geriatric plan – at least a rough draft. What about nutrition? Medication? Household needs like laundry, shopping & cooking? Hygiene? What happens if my memory fades? Who is in charge of my legal matters? Paying the bills on time? Overlooking my driving ability? Who will help me get to my appointments or advocate for my well-being? Who will help me adapt my home to current needs? How will I stay social?

Like the fire emergency plan, the geriatric plan is a prudent endeavor. It’s pennies now instead of dollars later; it’s hours now instead of days or months later. It’s being ready or just hoping.

I’ll do both – the fire and the geriatric plan. The fire plan will go quick –sit down with the whole family, map it out, run a drill and correct any shortcomings. The geriatric plan won’t take that long either. What there is to do right now is have a financial plan: look at future needs and plan how to have enough.

"Old age is like everything else; to make a success of it, you’ve got to start young."
Fred Astaire




Konrad Kaletsch, CAPS
June 25, 2009
Universal Design Resource
Join Universal Design Network at LinkedIn