Prepping for the Elderly

As we get older and our bodies break down, there are several extra things we need to take into consideration when prepping:

• Medications--do you have at least a month's medications in reserve in case you have no access to a pharmacy?  Also keep paper/digital records of all of your prescriptions.
• Eye glasses--if you can't see without them, consider getting a second pair to have in reserve.  Also have a copy of your eye glass prescription on hand.
• Hearing aids--keep your old ones just in case the new ones get lost/broken and have lots of spare batteries for both.
• Mobility--whether you need a cane, walker, wheel chair, or scooter, consider how you would evacuate/maneuver around your home during a disaster (earthquake, extended power outage, etc).
• Dentures--your old dentures won't fit after a month or so with new dentures so be able to fix the new ones if they break (Super Glue works for this).  Keep denture cleanser as well as denture adhesive in reserve. Other options may include permanent dentures or implants.  Dentures have a limited lifespan so plan on replacements as your dentist recommends.
• Evacuation--if you no longer drive or rely on public transit, consider how you would evacuate in the event of a disaster (call a friend or family member for a ride?).  Plan how you would evacuate from your home during a fire.
• Critical medical needs--if you rely on a ventilator, oxygen, dialysis, etc. and will die without these things, consider what would happen during a disaster.  Do you need to evacuate prior to a disaster?  Do you need a generator and spare fuel?  Does your community have a plan for oxygen delivery?
• Are you doing as much as you can everyday to keep your health in check such as eating well, strength and balance exercises, etc?
• Do you have assistive devices to meet your needs (such as smoke detectors that flash if you can't hear well, grab bars if you are unsteady on your feet, medical alert devices if needed, etc)?
• Do you have a plan with neighbors, friends or relatives to help you during a disaster?  
• Do neighbors, friends, or relatives have a key to your home and is their name/number posted on your front door/window with an "in case of emergency" notice?
• Are all of your important papers in order (and digitally backed up) including a Will, Medical Power of Attorney, life insurance, a pre-planned/pre-paid funeral, all financial documents, a list of passwords/access codes, etc?
• Do you have enough food, water, and supplies to stay in your home for up to a month without assistance from the outside (water should be rotated and easy enough for you to pick up, food should be easy to cook or able to eat cold if necessary, supplies should include toilet paper/adult diapers if needed/wet wipes/hand sanitizer/first aid supplies/etc).
• Do you have a plan for alternate heating/cooking/water supply/cooling without assistance from the outside?
• Has your home been "disaster proofed" in regard to the most common type of emergencies in your area?  Don't forget to "fall proof" your home as well.
• Do you have an emergency evacuation bag (BOB) that you can "grab and go" at a moment's notice?
• What will you do with your pets during a disaster?  Do you have extra food/supplies/gear for them on hand?
• Can you shut off your utilities during a disaster by yourself?
• Do you have several ways to communicate with friends/neighbors/relatives before, during, and after a disaster?
• Does your community have a way for you to register for additional assistance during a disaster (sometimes Senior Centers, Area Agency on Aging, the Red Cross keep a list of vulnerable people in the community)?
• Have you researched disaster prep options in your community (what do emergency sirens sound like, where are local emergency shelters/cooling stations, what are the best sources of local news and disaster alerts, etc)?
• Have you considered volunteering in your local community to prepare for a disaster (senior centers, the Red Cross, CERT teams, etc can always use more volunteers)?
• Do you have extra cash on hand (hidden of course) to use during a disaster?
• Are all of your insurance coverages up to date and paid for?
• Are you aware of what to do after a disaster (how to file insurance claims, how to apply for FEMA assistance if available, how to avoid scams, how to seek medical/psychological assistance if needed, etc)?

There's a baseline that everyone should have for being prepared but if you or someone you love has additional needs such as being elderly, ill, infirm, a small child, etc. additional preparedness should be done ahead of any possible disaster.

10 Medical Prep Tips for the Elderly

Having dealt with the elderly and their medical care as well as aging myself, here are some medical prep tips I've learned over the years, useful whether you are teetering on the brink of elderly-ness yourself or taking care of someone who is:

1. Balance and strength exercises--everything from bowling and yoga to walking and bicycling--will go a long way towards keeping older people from falling (which is the leading cause of injury and death for those over 65).
2. Eating a nutritious, well-balanced, mostly plant diet will similarly usher you into old age without many of the old age maladies that affect a large segment of the elderly population (obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc).
3. Get your eyes and ears checked on a regular basis (you often don't realize you are losing your sight and hearing since these things happen so gradually.  You don't want to be the one driving over the neighbor's garbage can--or cat!--because you can't see as well as you used to and you don't want to be the one always saying "what? what?" because everyone's speech is garbled...to you anyway).
4. Regularly check your medications for side affects and drug interactions (it's often the SO or caretaker who will notice these things since the side affects can often be cognitive glitches or "odd"symptoms).  Doctors tend to prescribe medications for every single ailment (I saw one lady at the pharmacy last week picking up no less that 30 prescriptions!), unfortunately this often leads to drug interactions or side affects which are then attributed to "being old" or "having a senior moment" when it is really due to some of the meds they are taking.
5. Become more safety conscious.  When you are 20 years old and climb up to your roof to make a quick repair you will (probably) bounce if you fall off.  If you do this when you are 65 you will probably break into a bunch of small pieces.  Ditto for balancing on the top step of a ladder on a few toes when setting the star atop the Christmas tree or skipping over the third stair because it is wobbly and about to fall through.  The things we did at 25 because our strength, youth, and invincibility allowed us to defy the laws of physics (like racing cars, doing stupid human tricks to impress our friends, etc) are not as forgiving as we get older.
6. Stay active socially.  Many people dream of the day they will retire.  There is even a segment of the population planning for financial independence/retirement at the ripe old age of 30 or 40.  The thing no one tells you about retirement, however, is that when there are absolutely no demands on your presence or time, you need to make up things to do to stay active or you will wither away in front of your TV in short order.  By keeping active you will be less likely to become socially isolated, depressed, and physically ill.
7. Prep for the end even if (you hope) the end will be in the far distant future.  Do all of the regular stuff (have a Will, Medical Power of Attorney, and secure retirement income) as well as have contingency plans for long-term care (where will this be at? how will you pay for it?), a plan for what will happen if you can no longer drive safely, a plan for what would happen if your SO should pre-decease you, etc.
8. Plan for other common disasters that could affect you (how would you evacuate from a disaster area if you no longer drive and can't walk far? how will you get your prescriptions or oxygen tank filled if these services are wiped away in your town? do you have a stockpile of food and water at home in case you are ill temporarily and can't get to the store?).
9. Trim your decades of personal possessions down to a minimal amount while you are still able to do this yourself (your kids/next of kin will thank you for this) and rather than willing items to your descendants consider giving them these things when you are still alive (which will alleviate a great deal of hate and discontent amongst family members).
10. Enjoy your old age.  By the time you become old, you have earned the right to: do as you please, date as you please, let others worry about things you had always kept a tight reign on (lest the world fall off its axis), spend your money as you please, and generally let others take up the slack while you enjoy your later years.