Some patients, confined to bed, have no mobility at all. Evacuating these patients from a disaster site can be a tremendous challenge even to a well-prepared staff. There is also the additional problem of how to conduct an evacuation if extensive relocation to another facility is necessary. A vehicle or vehicles accessible to disabled patients is of enormous value in this situation. Once residents have been evacuated, a new array of problems presents itself.
Older patients are more susceptible to malnutrition and dehydration than their younger counterparts.
If evacuation outside the institution is required, ways to manage those patients normally fed or hydrated enterally or intravenously must be found. These patients are also less tolerant of changes in temperature. If they are forced outside or if climate control mechanisms are disabled by a power outage, they may develop additional problems. Further compounding the situation is the high incidence of dementia among nursing home residents. Other problems may include the following.