Crisis Prevention Planning

“Expect the best.  Prepare for the worst.”

At the NJF Center for Caregivers, Inc., we strongly believe that knowledge is power.  So often, we see crisis situations that could have been averted or eased if the participants had prepared for the worst case scenario.  When a person has a good crisis management plan, they have something to fall back on—what might have been a crisis, causing you to panic or spin out of control, becomes an anticipated occurrence that can be dealt with calmly and efficiently.  An example of a crisis event that caregivers could prepare for is:

• Your father has been caring for your ailing mother for years.  However, he has had a stroke and can no longer provide care, pay bills, etc.  You have no idea where their bank accounts are, if anyone has power of attorney or where those legal documents are located, who will care for both mom and dad now?, etc.

The most important thing to remember is to keep your crisis management plan simple.  There are three main elements to a good crisis plan:  be aware, seek guidance and ask for support.  Once you have figured out your worse case scenarios and have developed a plan of action, write it down.  Keep the plan simple and available.  Seek the guidance of an organization or individual that specializes in helping families plan for their assisted living needs.  They will be able to help you recognize and coordinate resources you might already have and others offered in your community.

How to Manage the Crisis….

Okay, so now you’ve got your plan and have a support network, but unfortunately, the crisis happens and you’ve got to put this all into action.  How do you start?

1. Slow down and take a deep breath. 
2. Contact a support person who can assist you. 
3. Focus on the problems that need to be fixed and not on the emotions. 

This may seem like a daunting task, but don’t panic!  Building a crisis management plan takes time.  Ask for help in determining what your crisis situations might be.   Ask for help in developing plans of action.

Once you have your crisis management plan in place, you should find that your levels of anxiety go down.  You won’t spend as much time worrying about what might happen because you will know what you are going to do if it happens. 

For more information contact Becky Feola at the NJF Center for Caregivers, Inc. at (480) 473-4969 or you can visit their website at www.njfcenter.org.