This past Wednesday, the doors slid closed on the Jetblue Airbus A230 airplane on which I sat, signifying that it was time to fasten seatbelts, turn off cell phones and prepare to depart for the two hour trip home.  The television sets in the seatbacks all snapped on at the same moment, showing scenes of another Jetblue Airbus A230 making an emergency landing on the opposite coast from where we sat, suddenly glued to the screens. As our airplane reached for the sky, our sister ship safely returned to terra firma. 

The reason that I am sharing this moment with you is the fact that I was sitting in the emergency row window seat which has been a favorite of mine over the years.  I have heard the same speech from countless flight personnel requesting that we review the information regarding emergency procedures, yet this was the first time I ever took the time to study the training materials in the seatback.  Did you know that on some airplanes the emergency slide opens automatically, yet on others, the person sitting in my seat needs to manually release the mechanism?  I usually nod off after they ask if I am over fifteen years of age and willing to assist in case of emergency. 

This episode reminds me of one of one of the main reasons that people will pay attention to caregiving preparedness; they have seen what happens when someone they know cares for a loved one with little or no preparation. It is gratifying to see how many hands shoot up these days when I ask an audience of family caregivers if they have Advanced Directives in place for their loved ones. The part we need to keep working on is how few hands raise when I ask how many caregivers have these documents in place for themselves.  How about you?

Advance Directives_Frequently Asked Questions

Caregiver.com is ten years old this week.  Oh, they grow up so fast.