On July 27, 2023, the Rosalyn Carter Institute issued the following announcement:

I am writing to share an exciting update from RCI and our partners at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). Today, we are releasing a brand new toolkit to help caregivers of Veterans prepare for disasters. The toolkit, titled Prepared Caregivers: A Toolkit for Caregivers of Veterans for Disaster Preparedness, is the result of countless conversations with caregivers and emergency response personel who all said the same thing: caregivers need support in order to be better prepared in emergencies.

As many of us know firsthand, caregiving can be one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have, but it can also be one of the most challenging – especially when you are facing an emergency in your home or a disaster in your community. To make matters worse, resources to help families prepare for disasters often lack content that reflects the unique needs of family caregivers, despite the critical role they play in these crises. In partnership with the VA, we set out to change that. Prepared Caregivers supports caregivers of Veterans and the unique challenges they may face in times of disaster so they are better prepared for even the most difficult days.

Prepared Caregivers is made up of plans, advice, insight and conversation prompts for caregivers of Veterans, with customizable checklists designed to create a plan suited to caregivers’ unique needs. Resources include but are not limited to:

• • Explanations of key terms used in the preparedness sector but that are not commonly known
  • A military-caregiver-specific emergency plan
  • Checklists for caring for people with special needs, pets and service animals in an emergency
  • Insight into how the physical and mental wounds of war may cause Veterans to experience disasters differently from other care recipients
  • Strategies to help Veterans process their emotions in precarious situations
  • Tips for service animals
  • Month-by-month guides for assembling disaster kits
  • Procedures for navigating life after a disaster

This guide is fully customizability to meet the unique needs of each military caregiver and is designed to be self-paced. To read the toolkit and learn more, please visit https://rosalynncarter.org/emergency-preparedness/.