What to Do if a Loved One Is Evacuated From a Nursing Home or Assisted Living 

If you can’t get the information you need and require further assistance, contact your state’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, which advocates for residents of long-term care facilities and investigates complaints around care. 

Blanca Castro, who leads the California program, says local ombudsmen are on the ground in areas affected by the current wildfires, “ensuring that residents are being transferred to facilities that are providing an appropriate level of care.” Those who need assistance should contact the 24-hour crisis line at 1-800-231-4024.

2. Should you try to get to your loved one?

Experts recommend following the guidance of local emergency response units. “When the event is still very much in the response phase, which this one is, we encourage people to wait and not spontaneously try and go to their loved ones,” says Jennifer Horney, founding director of the University of Delaware’s epidemiology program, who studies the health impacts of disasters. 

“Local emergency management have deep experience in doing what’s best for the community and your loved ones, so I would say, go to [your loved one] only after communicating with the facility contact person or emergency management that it is safe to do so,” says Bell.

When conditions are safe, experts strongly encourage family members to visit. “A familiar face can be extremely reassuring for residents who have been thrown into an unfamiliar environment,” says Lori Smetanka, executive director of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care. “Many evacuation sites or temporary facilities, which can be under-resourced, may really welcome an extra set of hands, too.” 

Altadena Senior Center burned Jan. 8 in the Eaton Fire that swept L.A. County.

Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

3. Providing support from afar

If you can’t get there, communication is key with your loved one and their care team. 

“Try to use whatever means of communication your loved one prefers to check in regularly and reassure them,” says Jeff Johnson, AARP Florida’s state director, who has experienced hurricane evacuations. That could be phone calls, video calls, text messages, emails, even walkie-talkies, experts suggest. 

Connecting with your loved one’s care team is also essential to ensure continuity of care. A good place to start is by asking the site supervisor or staff if they have the resident’s medical records and care plan, says Janine Finck-Boyle, vice president of health policy and regulatory affairs at Leading Age, an industry group representing non-profit senior care providers. 

“Your loved one’s regular staff may be at the relocation site, but they also might not, so it’s vital to have documentation that other health care providers can follow,” she says. 

Ask for a copy or, if that’s not feasible, have a health care provider read through the documents with you to ensure they are accurate. 

4. Make sure care is continuing as best it can

During the response stage of the disaster, Bell encourages families to focus on the basic needs of residents: “Ask: Are you in a safe place? Do you have food, water and shelter? And are your medical needs being met?” 

If your loved one requires a special diet, medications or medical equipment, Finck-Boyle recommends asking about these services because temporary shelters may not be equipped for this. Responders may need to coordinate procuring these supplies or may need to transfer your loved one to an alternate location, so it’s best to flag such needs early, she says. 

Family caregivers can play a critical role in providing emotional and mental health support during disasters, while first responders and health care staff focus on addressing physical safety. Experts suggest asking questions like: Are you okay? What happened? How do you feel? What do you need? How can I help you? How can I be there for you? “It’s really important,” says Horney, “because we definitely see increases in things like post-traumatic stress syndrome and anxiety and depression following disasters and a dislocation like this.” 

5. Should I bring my loved one home with me?

It depends on your loved one’s specific care needs and your capability to support those, experts say. “It's so situational,” says Smetanka, who advises discussing such a move with the facility’s administration, the resident’s medical team and the resident themself to ensure all bases are being covered. Consider the accessibility of your home; whether you have the skills, knowledge and strength to provide the right care; whether you'll need help; and whether such help is available. 

“You always want your loved one to stay in the safest, most comfortable place,” Bell says. “And if you feel like that's with you, then certainly, if it's safe to go get them, then [bring them home].” 

Consider, though, that “residents may have a lot of needs after a disaster – both pre-existing needs, as well as heightened needs that have been exacerbated by the disaster experience and the evacuation,” Horney says. 

Given the vulnerability of the long-term care population during a disaster, experts emphasize the importance of planning for them ahead of time. “We have a saying in disaster management that you never want to be exchanging business cards in the middle of a disaster,” Bell says. Learn the facility’s emergency plans, ask questions and get ready for a disaster on a blue-sky day, she says. “If you're prepared, it's going to go smoother.”