Here’s where the real fun begins. Some residents need thickened liquids or specific water for feeding tubes. You can’t just hand them a cup of tap water and shrug.
Stock up on pre-thickened water packets or bottled pre-thickened water. It’s a little expensive, but it beats trying to mix up a slurry in a crisis. Also, keep backup supplies for mixing powdered formulas—those need clean, potable water too.
And let’s not forget about dialysis patients. If your facility does dialysis, water is a huge deal. You might need a portable reverse osmosis unit or a plan to transfer those residents to a hospital. Don’t wing it.
Healthcare Water Efficiency and Program Management Toolkit | Better
The “What If” Game: Treatment Options
What if your stored water gets funky? Or what if the outage lasts longer than a week? You need a backup for the backup. Boiling is great—if you have a gas stove and electricity.
Bleach is your cheap friend. Unscented, regular chlorine bleach (8 drops per gallon) will kill most bugs. But you need to measure carefully, and you can’t use it for wound care. Have a few water filters—the portable, pump kind—so you can treat questionable water from a pool or a rain barrel.
Quick PSA: Don’t use iodine if you have residents with thyroid issues. Always, always check with your medical director before making a facility-wide policy. I promise, they’d rather get a boring email now than a frantic phone call later.
