Services - Emergency Planning
An emergency is a situation which may unexpectedly separate you from the person that you care for long enough to pose a risk to them, and which requires an urgent intervention by another person. There could be several reasons why this may happen e.g. you have become unwell, been involved in an incident or accident, or need to deal with a personal crisis.
Have you thought about what you would do if a situation like this arose? Who would step in? It’s something that most carers worry about but often put to the back of their mind or have thought about it, but never actually shared their plan with anyone.
An emergency plan sets out the practical arrangements for these unexpected situations. By writing it down and involving others, creating an emergency plan can give you and the person that you care for peace of mind and help avoid a crisis. It can also help you have a conversation with family and friends about your caring role and help them to understand what types of challenges you face. It doesn’t need to be complicated, it is your plan and should include the information and practical arrangements that you feel are relevant.
Emergency Planning is now part of the Adult Carer Assessment and Support Plan, and it is important that you discuss it with the person that is completing the support plan with you. Even if you already have a support plan in place – you should still think about what you would do if an emergency situation arose.
We have developed an emergency planning toolkit which includes an Emergency Plan booklet, a Carer’s Emergency Card and a keyring.
If you would like more information about emergency planning or would like help with completing an emergency plan, please contact our team on 0141 941 1550
SafeConnect Fobs
After a successful launch in Argyll and Bute, Argyll & West Dunbartonshire Police Division and Alzheimer Scotland launched the SafeConnect fob – formally known as the Dementia Safeguarding Tag – in West Dunbartonshire.
This small and discreet fob aims to keep those living with dementia safe and bring them home to loved ones quicker when disoriented or confused in public. Fobs can be loaded with emergency contact details which are accessed when the tag is scanned using a smartphone.
SafeConnect fobs are free of charge, and available from your local Alzheimer Scotland team.
To find out more, contact your local Dementia Advisor or Alzheimer Scotland team on 0141 410 5306, or visit www.alzscot.org/dementia-safeguarding-scheme.
A promotional video and details on how to program your fob can be found above.
The Herbert Protocol – Missing Persons Form
The Herbert Protocol is an information-gathering tool to assist the police to find a person living with dementia, who has been reported missing, as quickly as possible.
There may be important pieces of information that you are able to provide to the police in the event that a relative or person you are caring for has gone missing. Try and have several copies of recent, close-up photographs of the person – this will help the police when they are searching for them.
The checklists on the form are indicative – do not worry if you don’t have, or cannot get all the information it asks for. Some of it won’t apply to everyone.
It is a good idea to fill in this form after a diagnosis, so you are prepared.
Scottish Fire and Rescue – Home Fire Safety Visits
As part of our Valued Carer initiative, we are working in partnership with Scottish Fire and Rescue to deliver free Home Fire Safety Visits to carers in West Dunbartonshire. A Home Fire Safety Visit will help you to plan an escape route in the event of a fire, as well as identify fire risks at home and test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If you would like a Home Fire Safety Visit, get in touch with us on 0141 941 1550.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to GDPR regulations, we are unable to process Home Fire Safety Visit referrals for anyone living at a separate address. If you wish to arrange a Home Fire Safety visit for someone else, please get in touch with Scottish Fire and Rescue on 0800 0731 999 with the person’s permission.