In the height of a hurricane, senior living communities provide a safe space for older adults

By Mike Pudlin

As Southwest Floridians, we have seen all too well what hurricane season can bring. Naturally, it causes fear, worry and anxiety in many, particularly in the most vulnerable members of our community – seniors.

In emergency situations like natural disasters, older adults are most likely to face special risks, like health issues, which means that their safety and access to high-quality resources are incredibly important.

Gulf Coast Village, the only life plan community in Cape Coral, has weathered many storms, including Hurricanes Donna, Irma, Ian and now, Milton. Our top priority is keeping our residents and staff safe, which is exactly why long before the start of each hurricane season, our team gathers to prepare for the months ahead.

Before June 1, we activate our Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) protocol, which is fine-tuned annually and covers risk assessment, policies and procedures, communications, training and testing. Our team stockpiles supplies, like generator fuel, medications, food, water and other critical supplies deemed necessary in the event of lost power.

Before the storm made landfall, Rich and Susan Rolfe, two of our newest residents, moved into the community a month early to ride out the storm in a safer environment.

“We weren’t planning to move into Gulf Coast Village until November, but with Milton coming, we were happy to move in early. The staff was wonderful. They took care of all the preparations for the storm. We and our fur babies were safe,” said Rich and Susan Rolfe.

With our preparation done well in advance, focusing on our in-the-moment processes throughout Milton was crucial to keeping our residents safe. To enhance the safety and security of our residents during the storm, our team made daily overhead communication announcements to keep residents and staff apprised of preparations and the storm’s status. Maintenance, along with other volunteers from staff, closed the hurricane shutters in all resident rooms and installed manual shutters on the first-floor apartments and Care Center rooms. Resident checks continued throughout the afternoon and evening, as is our standard protocol.

Additionally, our maintenance team shut down all elevators in our independent living building at 4 p.m. to prevent damage if there was a power surge; residents were made aware to be on their respective residence floor prior to 4 p.m. if they were not able to maneuver the stairs. The elevators at Palmview, our assisted living and memory support building, were shut down at 6 p.m., and courtyard doors were secured in the early afternoon.

And even though our home health patients do not live on our campus, their safety was still our top priority. Our home health associates were able to contact all our clients, and we ensured they had proper supplies to carry them through Milton’s landfall and that their homes were secured. We also identified who would be evacuating the area and where they were evacuating to. In one case, we assisted a patient to evacuate her Zone A home to a local public shelter, where she stayed until power was restored to her home. Once we received the all clear post-Milton, we verified that all patients were safe and returning home to resume their health services.

Safety is the first key to keeping our residents comfortable in an emergency situation, but so is keeping them in good spirits. On the day of the storm, residents in all care levels had a full slate of activities. Palmview residents began their day with morning exercise to “The Hits of Motown” and then participated in word games while enjoying the coffee of the day, Frosted Cinnamon Bun. In the afternoon, they played Poker and Blackjack and enjoyed root beer floats for an afternoon snack, followed by a marathon game of bingo. In our Care Center, our activities assistant conducted room visits to do one-on-one activities with residents in their rooms. Independent living residents played Wii Bowling – one of their favorite activities – and enjoyed their weekly “Wednesday After Dinner Social” prior to Milton’s landfall. They even enjoyed “Hurricane Happy Hour” on the day of the storm.

Most memory support residents were unaware of the impending storm – televisions in memory support are set to the Hallmark Channel and/or Travel Channel, and news and weather channels are not broadcast to mitigate the potential for any anxiety to our memory support residents. None of the impacts of the storm were heard or felt by our residents due to Palmview’s high-impact windows.

The safety and emotional support of our residents remains our top priority, as always. Hurricanes Irma, Ian and Milton have taught us the importance of community, and we remain committed to supporting not just our residents and their families, but the entire Cape Coral community through Hurricane Milton’s recovery.

About the author

Mike Pudlin is the director of facilities at Gulf Coast Village, Cape Coral’s only life plan community.