Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
The disabled and the Flu |
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KOMET163
Admin Group Joined: January 15 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 278 |
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Posted: January 15 2006 at 7:34am |
Hi, I work with individuals with disabilites in an Independent Living Center in a rural state. One of our primary concerns as an agency and as fellow human beings is how to protect and treat individuals with disabilities during times of Pandemic flu. I have talked to our state director of Health services and he has no idea how to deal with this population. No plans have been made for the treatment and care of over 100,000 persons in vunreable conditions in group homes or living independently in our state with various disabilites. As was demostrated by Katrina, elderly and disabled individuals were left to fend for themselves. I have looked at the worst case seneriros and have estimated that between 45 and 75 % of our service population could perish from and avian flu pandemic. Is there any way on earth that we can help this population survive a avain flu pandemic ? Is there any way that we can insure or protect elderly or disablied individuals in this population from massive social dislocation and starvation . ? That is the question I am throwing out to all of the members for discussion. |
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Ironic, isn't it that years ago, only the churches cared for the poor and needy.
In the modern world we look for the Government and Social Services, Welfare, Medicare, and so on. As we have gotten away from the churches, we have forgotten about them, but htey are still there. Whereas it used to be normal for churches to provide care for those in need, many of the modern churches do not see that as their role in today's modernsemi socialist society. Shame, that. Perhaps asking the churches (that are interested) if they would sign on to look out for "Shady Brooks Rest Home" in case of an emergency might be a step in the right direction. |
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Komet, Thanks for bringing this issue up. I personally have a 32 year old brother who is retarded. He isn't severely retarded though and actually functions at a reasonably high level. He lives at home with my parents. My father is in such frail condition that he wouldn't be able to survive without his family support system. So you see, I have two examples of dependant adults in my own family. The residents of group homes & half-way houses are probably high on the list of at risk individuals and it disturbs me to read that you see no planning for them taking place. Joe's idea about churches (synagogues & Mosques) "adopting" a location is a tremendous idea. Perhaps you could take the bull by the horns and do a mailing to local C/S/M's in your area asking them to consider doing this. Perhaps you could couple it with an educational package of information about what society may be facing during a pandemic. You would be accomplishing two things at once...educating on your issue and educating on the overall threat of pandemic influenza. |
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Left Field
Adviser Group Joined: January 13 2006 Status: Offline Points: 176 |
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You all are very nice people and your thoughts about taking care of the disabled and mentally challenged is commendable. However, after reading this form for several months, I believe most all of you are going to do the normal human thing and lock your doors, stay in your home and shoot any intruders. The health providers will stay at home doing the same thing, the sick in the hospitals will also have to take care of themselves. It sounds bad, but I really don't believe the bible thumpers will be any different. |
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LF, you make a valid (perhaps) point, but the great thing about having a viable plan in place is that for the most part people will follow through with their previously accepted commitments and actions. It's when there is no over riding plan or co-ordinated effort that you see the break downs that you reference. Our glaring example of this is NO vs TX response to hurricane & evacuation. One had a plan that they implemented one had a plan that no one bothered to dust off. Guess which was which.
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