November 5, 2009
Dear Consumer or family member,
At Elder Independence of Maine, we want to make sure you have the help you need to stay at home. At any point in time, however, we can’t guarantee that the help you need will be available.
Emergencies can happen and we want to be sure you are prepared. Have you thought about what you would do if you did not have your in-home services to help you stay at home?
Any time is a good time to have a “back-up plan” in case your in-home staff or services could not come to help you. Your care manager has likely talked with you about something like this happening and what it would mean to you. But with “flu season” upon us, and not knowing how the H1N1 flu virus might affect your in-home workers, including care managers, I am writing to remind you how important it is to plan.
How would you get along at home if your worker could not be there to help you for, a day, two, or more….?
We do not want to alarm you, however, we do not know what to expect from the H1N1 virus, or how hard it may hit the workers who serve you. So we ask you to take some time to plan for such an event.
To help you think through a plan that would work for you, we have enclosed a “back-up” plan tool. There is one example (click on 'example' to view) of how someone might fill it out and also a blank form (click on 'blank form' to view and print) for you to write your own plan. Please keep it with you and also share it with your care manager.
As always, please contact your care manager with any questions or concerns. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Sharon Foerster, LCSW
Director, Elder Independence of Maine
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