Emergency Preparedness has special considerations for the elderly.  

Here’s what you’ll need to know about keeping your aging parents safe in the event of a disaster.

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Resources

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS RESOURCES

FOR CHILDREN OF AGING PARENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Below you’ll find a summary of some of the suggestions I made on the show.  I wrote a detailed Blog post that gives you even more resources.  Here’s a link to that post.  

General Preparedness Information

Are You Ready? (a FEMA publication)

Dealing with Disasters

Preparedness for Seniors by Seniors

Emergency Preparedness Tips for Older Adults,

Disaster Preparedness Planning for Older Adults  US Public Health

Items mentioned on the show:

Lightweight Travel Wheelchair  Keep this near the front door or with the rest of the emergency supplies, so your parents can use it if they need to be evacuated.  I suggest this even for those clients who do not have difficulty walking.  Emergencies can have them standing for long periods of time and require them to walk very long distances… this can help.

Here’s a six pack of emergency whistles with lanyards that can be attached to an LED flashlight.  I make sure my clients have something like this in every room in their home—just in case they need to call for help and can’t get out.

I forgot to mention these chemical light sticks on the show, but they are great! We used them during Hurricane Sandy when our power was out for three weeks. They last for 12 hours and are less than a dollar each.  I now give them to all of my clients.  I also suggest attaching a front door key to one and keeping it in the bedroom, just in case you need to toss it out to the police, so they can get in without having to break down the door.

Use this Key Lockbox to allow emergency personnel to quickly access your parent’s home in an emergency.  The Police can keep the access code on file.

Another thing I failed to mention is this really cool water purification straw.  My husband and I both carry one in our 3-day packs—that we have with us at all times (a holdover from his days as a Public Health Doctor).  You can literally use it to safely drink water from any source.. stream, pond, street puddle, etc… and it’s reusable.