Emergency Preparedness: A Checklist for Older Adults and Seniors
Emergency Preparedness: A Checklist for Older Adults and Seniors
Did you know that there are over 47 million seniors in the United States? What’s more, is that this number is expected to reach 95 million by 2060!
This makes sense when you think about it—after all, older adults often have special needs and requirements. This is especially true for those with pre-existing health conditions.
Want to provide them with the care that they need? Then you’ll want to make sure that they’re prepared for an emergency.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to create a checklist. Not sure what to include? No worries, that’s why we’re here! We’ll be going over all that you need to know below.
So be sure to keep reading!
Why You Should Create a Checklist
Natural disasters are more common than you think. For instance, hurricanes, blizzards, and tornados can force you to evacuate your home on short notice.
Things become much more challenging if you’re an older adult. Fortunately, it’s possible to prepare for such a situation. How? By creating a plan—this includes making an emergency checklist.
The goal is to provide your loved one with everything they need to respond to an emergency.
Putting Together Your Emergency Plan
One of the most important things that you want to do is to put together contact information. You want your loved one to have the current numbers of people that they can contact in an emergency—this includes friends, families, and neighbors.
The next thing that you want to do is to establish a meeting place. Where will they meet you in the case of an evacuation? Similarly, you want to learn what the procedures are if they are living in a retirement community.
Do they have a chronic health problem? If so, you might want to consider getting them a medical ID bracelet—that way, people will know whether or not they require medical attention.
Identification information is also a good idea for elderly or disabled adults.
Provide Them With an Emergency Supply Kit
Chances are, they will not have access to clean water or electricity following an emergency. For this reason, you want to provide them with an emergency supply kit.
Aside from food and water (enough to last 72 hours), you want to include medical-related items as well.
For instance, it’s a good idea to include a 3-day supply of medication. Consider including a list of all their medications as well, including the exact dosages.
Other things that you might want to put in include copies of medical insurance cards, photo ID, and a list of allergies. Remember, you can never be too prepared when it comes to emergencies!
Caring For Older Adults
Hopefully, that gives you a better idea as to how to prepare your loved one for an emergency. As you can see, there are certain things that you want to take into consideration when it comes to older adults.
Are you looking for senior care services? Feel free to contact us for more information!
His role in Love In Home Senior Care is to educate people on what care choice is the best fit for the senior and their family while attempting to make this decision as stress-free as possible for everyone involved.
This decision making process should be smooth and stress free for everyone, including all family members and their loved ones. Having access to people with experience (like the team at Love In Home Senior Care) to assist you along the way can help this process. With an extensive background in health care, Andy has the experience needed to guide and direct your loved one to the choice that is the best fit.
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