Whether it’s a natural disaster, a power outage, a pandemic, or another unexpected situation, emergencies can happen anytime, forcing individuals to evacuate or shelter in place with little to no warning. This can be especially difficult for seniors who live independently with the assistance of family or professional caregivers.
It’s important for you and your loved ones to be prepared for any type of emergency scenario. In this guide, we share tips and resources for emergency planning that can help seniors and their families prep for a wide range of potentially dangerous situations.
- Why Emergency Preparedness Is Important for Seniors
- How to Prepare for Emergencies
- Develop Your Emergency Action Plan
- Emergency & Disaster Resources
Why Emergency Preparedness Is Important for Seniors
Adults over 60 are disproportionately affected by disasters due to difficulties with accessing emergency information, humanitarian aid, medical services, transportation, social isolation, and more. Unfortunately, this also means that seniors are the most vulnerable to loss of life in emergency situations.
Because elderly populations are at a higher risk for loss of life in disasters, seniors and their families need to be prepared for any and all scenarios. This means creating an emergency preparedness plan that defines when and where to go, what resources are needed, and how to stay in touch with personal contacts and emergency alert systems.
How to Prepare for Emergencies
Disaster preparedness happens before a crisis arrives. Think of it like the fire drills you practiced in school. Your teacher showed you which door to use and where to safely stand outside—and you practiced this several times a year. The same applies with older adults and their families. You need a plan that helps you and your loved ones know what to do when disaster strikes. Here’s how you can prepare at home.
Understand Your Risk
First, you’ll want to identify the most likely hazards. Is it winter storms that knock out the power and make accessing supplies difficult? Is it hurricanes, flooding, or wildfires that require you to evacuate your home? Is it tornadoes where you’ll need to find a safe place to take shelter?
Also, consider the type of community you or your senior loved one lives in. Is it a rural area with few nearby neighbors and limited public transportation? Or a high-rise building in an urban environment that could be hard to navigate during power outages?
Don’t forget to note specific age-related risks or health concerns, too. Things like medication requirements, fall potential, chronic health conditions, and home medical can add another layer of risk in emergencies.
Knowing the specific vulnerabilities you or your loved one face can help you prioritize your preparation and strategize how to safely get through emergencies.
Sign Up for Alerts
Technology can help ensure that you and your family aren’t caught off-guard by a disaster. Look into the following key resources to stay up-to-date on local, regional, and national emergencies:
- FEMA Mobile App
- NOAA Weather Radio
- Earthquake Notification Service
- Your county or city’s emergency notification system
You can also configure weather apps on your smartphone or tablet to alert you to dangerous conditions at a loved one’s location from anywhere in the country.
Seek Training
Being prepared starts with knowledge. Be sure that you and your loved ones understand how to use any medical equipment or assistive devices in case of an emergency. A healthcare provider can help walk you through how to use this equipment and even offer recommendations for backups, should you lose power.
It’s also a good idea for family caregivers to be certified in life-saving skills, such as First Aid, CPR, and use of an AED (automated external defibrillator). The Red Cross offers classes for these techniques and provides other useful resources for emergency situations.
Make Your Emergency Kit
Whether the situation requires evacuation or staying hunkered down at home, building an emergency preparedness kit is essential. This may include a go-bag with at least three days of supplies, customized to your loved one’s medical needs.
It’s smart to split your supplies into a lightweight, easy-to-carry bag for fast-moving emergencies and a heavier box or wheeled suitcase for longer-term needs.
Here’s what you may need in your emergency kit:
Food, Water, & Daily Living
- Water (one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation)
- Food (at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food)
- Any special dietary items or eating supports
- Manual can opener
- Mess kits (plates, plastic silverware, other meal supplies), paper towels, cups, etc.
- Pet food and medications, leashes, dog tags, service animal vest, and extra water
- Feminine supplies, adult bladder control needs, etc.
- Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person (extra for the elderly or ill)
- Complete change of clothes for everyone and sturdy shoes
- Disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, garbage bags, and plastic ties (for personal sanitation)
Medical & Health Resources
- Prescription medications (in their original bottles) and related supplies like syringes
- Non-prescription medications, including pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medicine, antacids, etc.
- A cooler and ice packs if medications or special foods need to be kept cold
- First aid kit, including a no-touch thermometer and pulse oximeter
- EpiPens, inhalers, diabetes supplies, etc.
- At least two N95 masks per family member
- Glasses and/or contacts and contact solution
- Hearing aids and extra batteries
- Assistive devices such as canes, wheelchairs, walkers, and oxygen tanks (including model numbers)
- Adequate oxygen supply and backup plan
- Identification band (full name, contact number for family member/caregiver and allergies)
Communication & General Supplies
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Cellphones with chargers and extra batteries
- Whistle or loud airhorn (to call for help)
- Plastic sheeting and duct tape (to shelter in place)
- Wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities)
- Fire extinguisher
- Matches in a waterproof container
- Cash (in case electronic payments can’t be used due to power or data issues)
Review and refresh your kit twice a year. An easy way you can remember to do this is update your kit when you change smoke detector batteries each spring and fall. If your loved one isn’t able to do this themselves, offer to help refresh their kit and change smoke detector batteries the next time you visit them.
Connect Your Support Network
Identify the people who can help you and your loved one in an emergency, and make sure they’re willing to be part of the plan. Exchange contact information with family, friends, neighbors, and healthcare providers and outline who, how, and when to contact them during an emergency. Designate specific family members and friends to be responsible for check-ins, transportation, and emergency shelter.
While setting up a text chat or social media group for your family can provide instant communication, it’s important to have a backup plan if internet or cellular service isn’t available. Consider a traditional phone (i.e., landline) tree to notify family and friends in a critical situation.
Develop Your Emergency Action Plan
A written action plan for emergencies brings all of your preparation together. Sit down with your senior loved one and key family members so that you can build it together, practice it regularly, and make sure everyone has a printed and digital copy.
Decide Whether to Stay or Go
Use a simple written chart showing what to do in different scenarios so there’s no guesswork in a stressful moment. The general guidance is to shelter in place when authorities direct it (e.g., tornadoes, chemical spills, air quality emergencies) and evacuate when there’s risk of structural damage (e.g., flooding, wildfire, hurricane).
For any situation requiring an elderly loved one to leave home, establish a meeting place and next steps in advance. For wide-scale evacuations, identify two escape routes, a primary destination and a backup option, and make transportation arrangements for an accessible vehicle if needed.
Develop a Communication Plan
Print a contact list in a large font and post it in multiple places, such as on the refrigerator, bathroom mirror, wallet, nightstand, and other common areas. Designate an out-of-area family contact as a central hub since local lines may be congested while long-distance calls get through. Assign roles in advance so that you know who calls 911, who contacts the doctor, and who coordinates family updates. Then, agree on check-in times so everyone knows when to take escalate action.
Create a Supply Checklist
In addition to your emergency go-bag, keep additional supplies on hand for extended situations:
- 7–14 day medication supply; get prescriptions filled early if there is potential for impending disasters
- Backup power (generator or battery backup) for ventilators, oxygen, or feeding equipment
- CPAP with battery backup, insulin with cooling storage, or dialysis supplies if applicable
- Personal care supplies such as comfort items and pet care needs
If you or your loved one depends on life-sustaining electrical equipment, contact your local energy provider now to register as a medically vulnerable customer. This helps ensure that utility companies prioritize power restoration for these households.
Locate & Safeguard Important Documents
Storing physical copies of key documents in a waterproof and/or fireproof container and taking a digital photo of each item so they can be accessed from anywhere is a smart move. Keep a duplicate set with a trusted family member or close friend in a different location. Some of the most important documents to protect include:
- Photo ID, passport, birth certificate, and Social Security card
- Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance cards
- Property and financial documents (titles, deeds, banking and investment information)
- Will, durable power of attorney, and advance directives
- Medications (name, dose, prescriber, pharmacy), allergy list, and emergency contacts
If your loved one receives Social Security or government benefits, switch to electronic payments or direct deposit to avoid disruption if mail service is affected. It can reduce the likelihood of missed payments, which could result in utility shut-offs, missed rent or mortgage payments, overlooked insurance bills, and more.
Emergency & Disaster Resources
Be sure to include the following resources in your emergency preparedness plan. You can program these phone numbers into you or your loved one’s phone to make it easy to reach out in the midst of a stressful situation.
- FEMA offers disaster preparedness guides, Mobile App, post-disaster assistance. 1 (800) 621-FEMA (3362)
- American Red Cross provides shelters, disaster relief, CPR/First Aid training. 1 (800) RED-CROSS (733-2767)
- Eldercare Locator connects you to local Area Agencies on Aging and community resources. 1 (800) 677-1116
- 211 Helpline is an important source of local referrals for emergency food, housing, and transportation. This resource also helps during difficult times that aren’t related to disasters. Dial 2-1-1
- AARP features resources you can use for yourself or as a family caregiver. Information is well-organized and easy to understand. 1 (888) 687-2277
- National Poison Control is available 24/7 for medication or chemical emergencies. 1 (800) 222-1222
BrightStar Care® Is Here to Keep You Safe
Preparing for emergencies is one of the most meaningful things you can do for yourself or the elderly family member you love. Your local BrightStar Care® agency offers comprehensive support for seniors who need in-home nursing or caregiving services on a short-term or ongoing basis.
As part of that care, we can work with you and your family to support an emergency preparedness plan as part of your loved one’s overall care plan. Our compassionate caregivers provide companionship, personal care, dementia care, and a range of other in-home services overseen by a registered nurse (RN).
Reach out to us today to learn more about the ways we make life easier and safer by delivering A Higher Standard® of care for you and your family. You can call us 24/7 at (866) 618-7827 or search for a nearby BrightStar Care agency.