Storm Preparation Tips Your Family Should Get in Place

As summer’s stormy season, you realize it’s important to talk about different scenarios as your mom lives alone. If there’s a major storm, what preparation tips are important for her to have in place? Senior home care providers are useful in assisting your loved one during stormy times.

Keep Water and Non-Perishable Foods Stocked Up

In case of a long power outage, non-perishable foods and water are helpful. Canned meats, vegetables, and fruit are good options. Water bottles or bottled unsweetened teas and fruit juices are good for staying hydrated if you can’t draw water from the well.

Stock up on shelf-stable milk and boxed cereal. Shelf-stable milk in smaller containers is best as she can use an entire container at once. Bread, peanut butter, and honey or jam will last a long time without worrying about spoilage.

Emergency Supplies for Power Outages

If your mom is on a well, she needs to have some extra gallons of water for flushing toilets. It’s also helpful to have a battery-powered radio for news updates and alerts. If possible, a solar phone charger can help her keep her phone charged and also make sure her e-reader is charged and ready to use if reading is a preferred pastime.

Flashlights are essential. Have several of them with batteries available. If they’re rechargeable flashlights, you’ll also want a solar charger for that. An oil lantern can be a good idea to have outside.

Have a First Aid Kit

Does your mom have a first aid kit? Make sure it’s stocked with the things she’d need in an emergency. It should have large and small bandages, gauze, butterfly bandages, first aid tape, and self-adhering athletic bandages to cover gauze or support a sprain.

She should have antibacterial cream and burn cream. Finally, add a foil blanket in case of hypothermia.

Make Sure There Is an Evacuation Plan in Place

If your mom has to evacuate, where would she go? Does someone live nearby or are family members hours away? Would she have to go to a shelter? If so, how would she get there?

It’s a good idea to get to know her neighbors if you don’t already. If there is an emergency and they’re willing to help her, it’s a good option.

She needs to talk about and practice escape routes out of her home if there was a fire. If lightning starts a roof fire, she needs to know how to get out to safety. Have a neighbor or shed she could go to while waiting for the fire department to arrive.

Staying Cool

In hot weather, the loss of AC for even a few hours can become unbearable. Make sure your mom knows to sit in the shade and dampen her t-shirt to stay cool. If the power outage lasts for days, it’s better to go somewhere else.

When you don’t live close by, make sure there is someone nearby to support your mom’s need for transportation, help running errands, and even help her pack a bag if evacuations are recommended. Senior home care aides can do this. Call a senior home care specialist and ask about companion care services.

If you or an aging loved one is considering Senior Home Care Services in Marietta GA please contact the caring staff at CaraVita Home Care today. (770) 643-1712