Hurricane preparedness is a necessary part of life in Florida, a state known for its year-round warm climate and beautiful beaches. Each year, from June to November, Florida hurricane emergency preparedness plans go into effect to safeguard the state’s elderly population in emergency situations.

Florida is especially vulnerable to the threat of hurricanes, so emergency preparedness planning in senior living, including the stringent generator regulations introduced in 2018, make sense. Severe weather can knock out power and electricity and create unsafe conditions for older adults, especially during the hot summer months. Today’s generator laws in Florida guarantee older adults can always find a safe haven in a senior living community.

First Line of Defense in Florida Senior Living

Generators are the first line of defense and have become an indispensable part of hurricane preparedness plans in senior living communities. For seniors, the loss of power could mean interruption to essential services like air conditioning, lighting, and the operation of medical equipment both in the home and in residential care settings.

Upgraded generators such as those found in Sonata by AgeWell Solvere and Serenades Memory Care communities are designed to maintain operations for extended periods of time, even under the most adverse severe weather conditions. They ensure residents always have electricity, providing comfort and reassurance to seniors and their families.

Furthermore, in memory care communities, keeping the lights on in a familiar setting is essential to reducing dementia symptoms like confusion, stress and anxiety.

Florida’s Assisted Living Facility Generator Requirements

In Florida, regular generator inspection routines are stringent to make sure generators are always in optimal condition. However, it’s not all about compliance to the law! Generators in assisted living facilities provide a lifeline to families during hurricane season. For those adult children with a parent who lives alone, a move to a Sonata assisted living community provides reassurance that their parent will be safe no matter what surprises Mother Nature has in store.

Families can relax knowing assisted living communities will continue to provide essential services during an extreme weather event. Here’s a few of the state regulations you can count on in Florida:

• Assisted living communities in Florida are required to prepare a detailed emergency power plan and submit it to the local emergency management agency.
• Power sources in assisted living must be equipped to maintain air at 81 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler for at least 96 hours following a power outage.
• Licensed assisted living communities must store 72 hours of fuel onsite.
• Carbon monoxide detectors are required in all licensed assisted living communities.
• Local authorities frequently review the building, mechanical and emergency preparedness plans in assisted living communities.

For more information about the role of generators in safety, regulations that apply to them, and resources from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, this website maintains generator status updates.

Senior Living Communities and Shelter in the Storm

Today, Florida’s assisted living and memory care communities offer safe shelter in a storm, particularly to older adults who need assistance with activities of daily living. During an extreme weather event, care services delivered in the home can be interrupted when travel is too dangerous for home care providers. Hospitals and urgent care centers are not as easily accessible during a hurricane and blocked or flooded roads can make travel precarious at best. Staying at home during a hurricane is rarely the best option for older adults, particularly those who live alone.

Should a power outage occur, a senior living community is the safest place to be! Sonata senior living communities’ backup generators include capacity for cooking, heating, cooling and even powering elevators! Caregivers and staff can continue providing care and support with no interruption to service, including three meals a day. With guaranteed power from generators, senior living residents stay both cool and comfortable.

At Sonata, more than a week’s worth of food, water and supplies are stocked for each resident to accommodate for potential outages caused by severe weather. Plus, adult children with concern for an older parent find greater peace of mind knowing medication management and personal care will continue before, during and after a storm event.

The Role of Generators for Safety in Senior Living

For senior living communities, keeping residents safe is a priority year-round, not just during hurricane season. Senior living communities are highly skilled and trained to plan for and mitigate emergencies to protect the health and well-being of older adults. For this reason and more, many older adults move to a Sonata senior living community while they are still independent. Independent living communities such as Sonata Lake Mary and Sonata East at Viera not only keep older adults safer during extreme weather, they keep them healthier year-round.

Many older adults are not able to protect themselves or their homes from a hurricane. Senior living at a Sonata community removes any worry associated with storm season in Florida. That kind of peace of mind is priceless. Whether you live in Central or South Florida, there is a Sonata community or Serenades Memory Care community that can keep you safe during a storm.

If you or a loved one live in Florida, read our 10 hurricane preparedness tips for seniors. Most importantly, if you live alone, make sure you have a personal hurricane preparedness plan in place before the storm or visit a Sonata community to learn about our respite stay to shelter in place at any of our communities during severe weather.

To learn more about hurricane safety at Sonata, contact us today→ or schedule a visit →