One of the things that seniors who decide to age in place need to prepare for is emergencies. From storms and power outages to home emergencies like fires or floods there are all kinds of crisis situations that can occur. And when they happen they usually happen fast. Seniors who live alone and have health challenges should be as prepared for possible for emergencies so that they will be able to get through emergencies safely. Every senior’s home should have a disaster kit and emergency supplies. But according to emergency preparedness experts the most important things that seniors should keep in their homes in case of emergencies are:
Batteries And Phone Chargers
If the power goes out it could be out for a long time. Seniors need to be sure that they have plenty of batteries in a variety of sizes to fuel things like hand held lanterns, flashlights, and any medical equipment they need. They should also have battery or solar powered phone chargers to make sure that their cell phones always have power.
Extra Medication
The doctor and the pharmacy will probably not want to give out a lot of extra medication but you should get enough of the daily medications that your senior loved one needs to last for about two weeks. Keep the medication in the emergency kit that you create for your senior loved one so that if there is an emergency the kit will have their medication already in it.
Blankets And Extra Clothing
Seniors tend to get cold very quickly even if the weather is mild. If an emergency happens during cold weather it won’t take long for your senior loved ones to get very cold. Have a senior home care provider help you store warm blankets, extra sweaters, socks, and extra hats and gloves in a spot where your senior loved ones could easily access it during an emergency.
A smart thing to do is to get each of your senior loved ones a camping sleeping bag designed to be used in freezing temperatures. These sleeping bags usually unzip to act like a blanket but they can be rolled up and put in a closet, emergency box, or in the car. The outer shell is waterproof and the inner blanket is light and very warm.
Food And Water
Access to water is something that people forget about during an emergency. But if the water is shut off because there is a problem with the water or because the water treatment plant is contaminated after a storm the water could be off for days. Unless your senior parents have a well for water they will need plenty of fresh water to drink. They will also need shelf stable food. Protein shakes are great to keep for emergency food because they have a lot of essential protein and they are liquids. Bottled water, protein shakes, and shelf stable foods should be kept in an easily accessible area in case of a disaster.
