Seniors & Functional Needs

Develop Your Plan of Action

The first step is to evaluate your own personal needs and develop an emergency plan that will fit those needs.

Collect Information

Create a list of what you use on a daily basis. Develop this by taking note of your daily activities as they occur. Do you use a cane? A walker? How about oxygen? What other things do you need or use on a daily basis?

Take note of contact information including phone, email and social media information for family, friends, caregivers, doctor's offices and other providers. Do you use anything special to communicate? Relay services or mobile device or computer? Be sure and include those in your list. 

Develop Your Network

Once you develop your plan be sure to share that with your family, friends or neighbors. Get them involved in your planning process and have them learn about any special considerations you may have. Make sure they have a list of your current medications and go over it with them. Teach them how to operate any special equipment you may have. 

If you keep extra items to help support your needs make sure your network is informed of where they are kept and how to utilize them. 

When working with your network identify what your plans are should you need to evacuate. where will you go? How will you get there? Make sure to let them know different ways to get in contact with you after an event is over.

Practice Your Plan

The key to any successful plan is practice, practice, practice!

• Review your plan with your network on an annual basis. 
• Pick key sections and have an exercise with them. Get their feedback and figure out what may have worked and what did not. 
• Now, make changes to reflect what you have learned.