Emergency Plan for Dementia Caregivers: Evacuation, Go-Bags, and Backup Care

A house fire, a power outage in January, or a medical emergency that puts you — the caregiver — in the hospital. Any of these can happen tonight, and none of them care that your parent has dementia.

Standard emergency plans assume the person can follow verbal instructions, remember where to go, and manage their own anxiety. Your parent can do none of those things. An effective dementia emergency plan accounts for cognitive impairment at every step — what to grab, how to communicate, and who takes over when you can't.

Build the Go-Bag Now, Not During the Emergency

Pack a waterproof bag and keep it by the front door. When you need it, you won't have time to gather anything.

Documents (in a waterproof sleeve):

• Power of attorney and healthcare directive copies
• Insurance cards (Medicare, supplemental, long-term care)
• Current medication list with dosages, pharmacy name, and prescribing physician
• Emergency contact sheet — your information, backup caregivers, primary physician, pharmacy, nearest ER
• A recent photograph of your parent (for identification if separated)

Medical supplies:

• 72-hour supply of all prescription medications
• Spare set of hearing aid batteries or reading glasses
• Incontinence supplies (if needed)
• A list of allergies and medical conditions

Comfort and mobility:

• Velcro-fastened shoes (no laces to tie during a rushed exit)
• A familiar comfort item — a specific blanket, a stuffed animal, a photo album. This isn't sentimental; familiar objects reduce panic in a disoriented person.
• Portable phone charger (fully charged)
• Bottled water and high-calorie snacks (granola bars, peanut butter crackers)

Refresh the bag quarterly. Medications expire, insurance cards change, and the photo ages. Put a calendar reminder to update the bag every three months.

Write a Fire Evacuation Script

Your parent cannot process complex instructions during a crisis. "We need to leave the house now because there's a fire, grab your shoes and follow me to the car" is too many steps for a person with moderate dementia.

Use short, simple, reassuring phrases:

• "We're going for a walk. Hold my hand."
• "Come with me. Everything is okay."
• "Let's go outside together."

Don't explain why. Don't mention fire, danger, or emergency — those words trigger panic without producing useful action. Your calm tone matters more than your words. If you're panicked, your parent's amygdala will mirror it and they'll freeze or fight.

Practice the exit route during calm moments. Walk your parent from their bedroom to the front door and to the car. Do it several times on different days. The physical routine creates a motor memory pathway that can function even when cognitive processing is impaired.

If your parent is immobile or uses a wheelchair, identify in advance which exit is wheelchair-accessible and whether you can manage the transfer alone. If you can't, your emergency plan must include a neighbour or aide who can arrive within minutes.

Plan for Power Outages

Extended power outages are especially dangerous because they eliminate the environmental cues — lighting, heating, cooling, alarms — that your parent relies on.

Heating failures (winter): A person with dementia may not recognise that they're hypothermic. They won't tell you they're cold. Have a plan for relocating to a heated shelter (a relative's house, a community warming centre) within 4 hours of power loss. Keep a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector; if you use a portable generator, CO poisoning is a real risk.

Cooling failures (summer): Heat exhaustion in older adults with dementia progresses faster than in healthy adults. They won't drink water on their own. Relocate to an air-conditioned environment within 2 hours if indoor temperatures exceed 85°F. Keep a battery-powered fan and a spray bottle in the go-bag for interim cooling.

Medication refrigeration: Some medications (insulin, certain eye drops) require refrigeration. If power fails, know which medications can tolerate room temperature for 24 hours and which can't. Ask the pharmacist in advance and note it on the medication list in your go-bag.

Designate Two Backup Caregivers

If you're injured, hospitalised, or incapacitated, who takes over? The answer can't be "we'll figure it out."

Name two backup caregivers and make sure each one:

• Has a key to your parent's home
• Knows your parent's daily routine (wake time, meal times, medication schedule, bed time)
• Has a copy of the emergency contact sheet and medication list
• Has met your parent recently enough that your parent recognises them (an unfamiliar face during a crisis escalates disorientation dramatically)
• Knows how to reach your parent's physician and pharmacy

Store backup caregiver contact information in three places: the go-bag, your phone, and posted on the refrigerator. If you're unconscious in an ER, the EMTs checking your phone or the neighbour checking your house need to find this information without searching.

Register With Local Emergency Services

Many fire departments and emergency management offices maintain voluntary registries for residents with disabilities or cognitive impairments. If your address is flagged, first responders arriving at your home during a fire or medical call already know that a person with dementia lives there — they won't waste critical time trying to get verbal cooperation from someone who can't provide it.

Contact your local fire department's non-emergency line and ask about their special needs registry. Registration is free and takes minutes.

What to Do Right Now

Pack the go-bag today — not perfectly, just a first version with whatever you have. Write the three-phrase evacuation script on an index card and tape it to the inside of the front door. Text your two backup caregivers and confirm they're willing. These three steps take less than an hour and cover the highest-risk scenarios.

The Creating a Dementia-Friendly Home toolkit includes a printable emergency contact sheet, a go-bag packing checklist, and an emergency preparedness reference guide covering evacuation, power outages, and backup care coordination.