Home Oxygen Therapy - Patient Information
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The Home Oxygen Therapy booklet is a resource for SA Health patients who have been assessed by a respiratory or sleep specialist.
Power dependency
If you or someone you care for relies on power - for critical care medical equipment in the home or critical pharmacy-dispensed medication - developing an emergency management plan for lengthy, planned and unplanned power outages with your GP, pharmacy, carers, and family is essential.
Develop a plan
To develop an effective plan to protect your health in the event of a planned or unplanned power outage:
- be prepared
- register to receive alerts.
Be prepared
Contact your power retailer and ensure that they are aware you are a power dependent critical care consumer. Your power retailer will also forward your contact details to SA Power Networks.
Sign up for outage alerts. Whilst registering won’t guarantee continuous electricity supply, SA Power Networks will keep you informed of planned outages so you can manage your care during a power outage.
Contact the distributor or provider of your life saving devices and oxygen cylinders about how to access back-up batteries to run your medical devices during prolonged power outages. Some retailers will also deliver oxygen cylinders to you in the event of a prolonged power outage.
Contact your Local Health Network or Health Service Respiratory Clinic to arrange access to back-up oxygen cylinders, if required.
If needed, arrange access to critical medications from a pharmacy with your GP, by contacting your:
- local pharmacy as listed in your plan to determine if they are able to supply you with your required medicines.
- nearest Drug and Alcohol service by telephoning 1300 131 340 or visit www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/dassa for further information.
Contact your doctor for advice if you live in a country location and your local pharmacy is not open or visit your local hospital pharmacy.
Identify and nominate your key carers, family members or agencies who will support you during a power outage:
- record and keep a list of their contact details in a place that is easy to access at all times.
- contact them to advise of planned or unplanned power outages so they can assist you during an outage.
Life support customers
If you or someone in your household relies on critical medical equipment that requires a continuous supply of electricity, you may be eligible to sign up as a life support customer with the electricity distributer, SA Power Networks. By registering for this service, you will receive updates during unexpected power outages and will receive additional notice of planned outages.
This service ensures that you receive timely information to manage any potential disruptions to your power supply. This does not mean you get priority power restoration. You should be prepared for prolonged outages, especially under extreme weather conditions and consult your medical practitioner about developing a back-up plan.
You can also register a carer or family member to receive SMS or emails from SA Power Networks about your property, or for more information please visit SA Power Networks Life Support Customers page.
During a power outage
If you are unable to use your medical devices at home and do not have a plan in place, seek alternative accommodation until their power returns.
If your phone network is down, in a medical emergency go to your closest Emergency Department. Hospitals will always be open.
If anyone is unable to use their medical devices at home, such as respirators, they should present to their nearest Emergency Department.