Stormy Weather – Part 2 Lessons Learned

Yesterday, we shared the story about our not good idea of going to the basement when the tornado siren sounded.  There was more than one lesson that came from this.

1. Don’t discuss plans in front of the person who cannot offer input!  Or for that matter, anyone who is seriously ill and not able to take on decisions.

Take the arguments and brainstorming out of earshot. For his peace of mind, Wheels did not need to be included in the discussions.  The options he heard offered made him more apprehensive for his safety, which did not help at all.  He knew he was being left out and that upset him. He was always the guy who could find a solution to any problem, so it also made clear that he no longer filled that position.  And  made very clear that he was physically incapable of moving himself or even speaking for himself.

Instead – Make a decision that the caregivers can agree on and then present it.  It doesn’t matter if it is two people in a basement on a stormy night.  Or a family gathered at Mom’s house, after a long day by Mom’s side in the hospital following a serious fall.  Discuss, shed tears, share the duties of fact finding or nursing home finding and then present to the loved one.  If the family agrees that there are two valid choices and Mom can think clearly, by all means ask her opinion.  But if there is only one way up the curved staircase, just do it.

2. Plan Ahead

This has at least two components.  First, we were still dancing around the notion that Wheels physical condition was not permanent.  The idea was in the back of the mind, that someway, somehow this remarkable man would be whole.  That he would be able to participate in family life again as the sometimes goofy guy that took wild chances and always the serious problem solver.  It was becoming clear that WE were now the responsible ones.   The ones who were responsible for getting to the basement before the storm.   AND the ones who better have a plan as to how to get out of the basement after the storm.  Without getting clipped in the back of the head by a skinny, and very upset, man with a powerful punch.

So what did we do??

Justin realized the laundry room on the first floor was centered between the house and the garage.  It has no outside walls and the roof is structured so it would be rather unlikely to fall in on us.  The plan:  Justin would get Dad in the wheelchair, while Charlene pulled the mattress from the hospital bed into the room and stood it up on the end wall.  Justin would bring Wheels into the laundry room and we would wait out the storm there.  If worst came to worse, the mattress would be our shield.  Thankfully, we only waited out one tornado warning, leaning on the washer and drier and listening to weather reports on the phone. The storm moved on quickly and life returned to normal.

We counted it a win.  The answer was really simple.  We just needed to think it through ahead of time.  A central bathroom or hallway would also work.

Where would you go in case of a serious weather threat?  What do you need to be comfortable for the duration?   What do you absolutely need to have handy in case the weather moves from threatening to actuality? Or if the threat is an entire evening?   Medicine? Glucose meter?  Snacks? Is there a place to store extras of those items in a small container where you plan to take shelter  so you don’t have to gather them while sirens sound?  How about a couple bottles of water?

Check out Ready.gov    for more information on planning ahead for weather problems in your area.