The Carbon County Link to Aging and Disability Resources hosted a workshop at the Whispering Pines banquet hall of Penn Forest Fire Company on Friday to educate elderly citizens on how to prepare for emergency situations.

The event was under the direction of Julie Roviniski-Mann, Carbon county Link coordinator. Link operates through the Pennsylvania Office of Aging and was described by Roviniski-Mann as a "one-stop shop" for resources for senior or disabled citizens."You'll call to different places if you need some help and they refer you to a different agency and then they also refer you to a different agency," said Roviniski-Mann who added that the goal of Link is to be the last place someone must contact in order to get the resources he or she needs.The event included presentations from Mark Nalesnik from the Carbon County Emergency Management Agency, Ed Jones from BrightStar Care and Tamara Bortree from the Alzheimer's AssociationIn attendance were roughly 150 senior citizens from Carbon county's senior centers as well as outside visitors.Nalesnik mentioned the emergency the area almost had Thursday night when the county was placed under a tornado watch but said there are other emergencies that can happen besides inclement weather.Nalesnik introduced the "all hazards approach" to preparing."Don't just single out just one type of hazard and only be prepared for that (hazard) because chances are that won't be the one to happen," he said.Nalesnik gave audience members each a bag that had printed on its fabric a checklist of emergency supplies. Listed were items such as a three-day supply of nonperishable food and flashlights as well as infant and pet supplies."The more preparing you do, the easier it will be when (an emergency) happens," Nalesnik said.Also mentioned while preparing for inclement weather, one must always be cautious about the placement of generators. Nalesnik said a generator in the wrong place can cause carbon monoxide fatalities.Ed Jones, CEO of Bright Star, an in-home care company operating in Carbon and Monroe counties, stressed the importance of devising and practicing an emergency plan."When you practice, you find things don't work the way you thought they would," he said.At their tables, those in attendance worked on devising his or her own emergency plans with a packet Bright Star provided. The packet asked them to think about what he or she would do if they were to lose power and other, similar questions.The presentations also covered how to handle an emergency situation if you are responsible for a loved one with special needs.Tamara Bortree of the Alzheimer's Association said it is important to let emergency responders know if someone in the home has Alzheimer's and brought up "Mirroring." This is the tendency for someone suffering from Alzheimer's or dementia to mirror the emotions of the person in front of them, which is why Bortree said it is crucial that the caretaker remains calm in an emergency situation.Brotree also said emergency contact lists should be written down and be easily accessed."When we're in a crisis, we only retain 10 percent of our necessary information," Bortree said, adding "When emergencies strike, that (phone) number goes right out of your head."Carbon County's Link program was founded in September and will be hosting more events in the future including a workshop in the fall to train first responders to interact with those with special needs.Roviniski-Mann closed the workshop by telling audience members her goal is to try and save even just one life by having educational events like Friday's."I'm proud of our area. I think we have a really young group of seniors here," said Roviniski-Mann.