Shakin' Street — A Parkinson's Blog

My wife and I are, to be charitable, woefully unprepared for a natural disaster.

We have no “go-bags.”

No bottled water or non-perishable food in the basement.

We’ve been paying homeowners’ insurance premiums to the same company for the same house since 1995 — and neither of us has any idea what’s covered.

There’s a first-aid kit somewhere in the house, unopened since we bought it around the turn of the century.

And don’t bother asking what we’d do with our cats if we had to leave the house quickly — they’re on their own.

Seeing the devastation in North Carolina and Southern California has been a wake-up call. This week, I took one small step towards full emergency preparedness — I established an “emergency-meds” box.

Like many with Parkinson’s, I take a significant number of pills each day, in a somewhat complicated sequence. Some of those pills need to be cut in half.

I use a couple of 7-day pill organizers with four compartments for each day. Every two weeks I spread all the bottles out on the dining room table, pull the pill-chopper out of a drawer, and fill the boxes.

Two weeks later, when the boxes are empty, I do it again.

If the earthquake hits when there are only two days’ worth left, the system will break down quickly.

Sure, I could just throw all the bottles in a bag on my way out the door. But as I imagined cutting pills and filling all the little organizer boxes while sitting on the floor of a Red Cross shelter, it became clear I need to do better.

This week I bought a third 7-day pill organizer for emergencies. It will have a full week’s supply of meds ready to go at all times.

The emergency med supply will be kept in the family go-bag. Which I intend to assemble any day now.

Baby steps.

I’m not alone in my erstwhile inattention to readiness. According to a 2021 survey by the insurance firm The Zebra, fewer than 24% of Americans have assembled emergency supplies.

23.8% have reviewed their insurance policies.

Nearly 44% of Americans have done absolutely nothing to prepare for an emergency.

As a charter member of Team Absolutely Nothing, I’m here to say we have some work to do.

What Goes in the Go-Bag If You Have Parkinson’s?

The American Red Cross has a detailed list of items every American should have in their survival kit. You can find that list here.

Besides the preparations recommended by the Red Cross, those of us in a Parkinson’s household need to take some additional steps.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation offers these recommendations:

• Contact your doctor or pharmacy to order enough prescription refills to have an extra week’s supply. 
• Create a list of your medications, including dosages, and doctors and their contact information. Store this in a digital document, such as the notes app on your mobile phone, or send it to a family member. This will be handy in case you need to evacuate or seek medical care. ..

…In addition to your survival kit, bring the following: 

• Your medication list and all medications in labelled bottles. 
• A PD medical alert bracelet (if you have one). 
• Deep brain stimulation documentation and programmer if applicable. 

The Parkinson’s Foundation has these tips:

• Check all your medications. Take inventory of all medications and reorder any that are running low. 
• Write your medication list down. Write down or print a list of all your medications (not just PD medications). Include medication name, strength, times taken and dosages. This customizable medication schedule can help.
• Make a list of your doctors. Make a list of your doctors and their contact information and take it with you if you need to evacuate before a storm.
• Water and food preparedness. Medications may need to be taken with a meal and usually water. Calculate five gallons of water per person per day. Buy enough water and food to last three to five days.
• Order or print your Hospital SafetyGuide in the event you need to educate an emergency responder or health care professional about your PD needs. Order one here.

If you take the steps outlined above, you’ll be in better shape than 44% of your relatives, friends and neighbors.

Me? I bought a new pill organizer.

It’s a start.

Bonus for Those Who Read to the Bottom — International Edition

A lot of compelling “Americana” has been — and is still being — created in other countries.

Here’s some Western Swing from Japan.

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Japanese rockabilly!

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Four Indonesian brothers moved to the Netherlands in the 1950’s and learned to play rockabilly like champions. Sound quality is a little dicey (I wish I could hear the bass) but the show they put on is specacular. My longtime musical mentor Dave Thomas labled this performance “totally badass,” and he is correct. Watch the whole thing.

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And finally, punk rock from the Phillipines.