Senior Spotlight: Emergency Planning For Older Adults

Can you believe October is almost here? As we continue to enjoy all the welcome changes of September, let’s also remember that this is National Preparedness Month! According to Ready.gov, National Preparedness Month is an observance each September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time.

The 2022 theme is ‘A Lasting Legacy’ which emphasizes that the life you’ve built is worth protecting; prepare for disasters to create a lasting legacy for you and your family. See applicable resources here.

In reality, there is no one size fits all plan for emergency preparedness, however, there are planning tips that are more applicable to each age and stage of life. This week we wanted to share the preparedness points that are most important for seniors – please feel free to share with the aging loved ones in your life and help them take the steps needed to have support & supplies in the event of an emergency.

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Ready.gov | Seniors

This helpful resource includes 3 ways for seniors to stay informed, lists 6 parts of planning and reminds older adults about the benefits of receiving some benefits in electronic payments (in case paper checks or mail disruptions occur).

CDC | Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults

The CDC also offers tips specific to older adults, which includes not only planning and supply lists – but accounts for documents, personal preparedness for caregivers and how to identify and support older adult populations.  

Red Cross | Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults

The Red Cross preparedness page for older adults has much of the same great information as the links above, but one of the parts we appreciate most is the recognition of assessing one’s needs. There is also a downloadable access point to  FEMA’s Financial Planning Guide which was published in 2019 to help individuals strengthen their financial preparedness in the event of natural disasters and emergencies.

Last but not least, this is one of our go-to resources from people who want you to learn from their own experiences. This Red Cross publication titled ‘Disaster Preparedness: For Seniors By Seniors’ was written by a group of older adults who endured a 2-week power outage in New York. They share that “We were unprepared for such a disaster. If we had only taken a few simple steps to prepare ourselves for such an event, we could have eliminated many of the hardships we had to endure.” Read this 32-page guide here.

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This is definitely one of those topics that we share to empower you, but with high hopes that this is information you never have to use. Please take care!

Bobbi

Bobbi Decker
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