Hurricane Preparedness for Your Elderly Family Members
Whether you live near your parents or they are far away, making sure they have the proper resources during a hurricane is vital. Here are some quick tips:
Create a Written List of Resources
Ensure your parents have a written (not electronic) list of all friends and family, primary care physician, pharmacist, and local disaster relief numbers.
Create a Check-in Protocol
Call your mom and dad’s neighbors to ensure they plan on staying close by to check-in. If you don’t live close to your aging parent, there is nothing more stressful than not being able to call or visit. Ask if their neighbor will check in with your parents at least once per day and then let your parents know to expect a visit.
Collect & Protect Documents
Preparing for a hurricane or storm should take place months ahead. In case of flooding, make sure copies of deeds, personal identification, insurance policies, social security cards, & birth certificates should be in one place, ideally in a sealed plastic bag. To be extra secure, make electronic copies of each and add the documents to a USB drive and place the USB file in a safety deposit box.
Medication Check
Make sure that all medicines are in excess. Having an extra supply of their medication will not only help prevent them from running out but is also mental relief (for everyone).
Know the plan
If mom or dad is at an assisted living facility or nursing home, ask for a copy of the emergency evacuation plan. Understanding if and when relocation might take place, that proper backup generators are present, and that staff levels will be safely maintained should be top of mind.
Secure Your Animal
Keep your parent’s pet in its carrier or on a leash. You never know when you might be forced to evacuate. And even if that doesn’t happen, you don’t want to be tracking down a petrified pet during the chaos. Therefore, encourage your parents to secure their pet before the storm hits.
Additional Hurricane Preparedness Info
For more information on hurricane preparation complete with preparedness checklists see our article Preparing for Hurricane and Hurricane Preparedness Checklists.
