Fall seems to always fly by faster than any of us are prepared for. Before we know it, winter arrives. And with it, the potential for winter storms.

If you help take care of your aging parents, fall is a good time of year to help prep their home for storms or extra chilly weather that may sweep in with winter. Here are five simple ways to help make sure mom and dad are ready for the season.

Get Ahead of Medication Management

Ensure your parents have an organized system for medication management—like a simple medication chart that reminds them what to take, and when. If it looks like a storm is on the horizon, it’s a good idea to remind them to make sure they have ample stock of prescription refills as well as their favored over-the-counter medications.

Stock up on Pantry Essentials

Help mom or dad stock up on the most important things to have on hand in case a winter storm knocks the power out: nonperishable food and a few gallons of drinking water. Essentials like canned soups and dried rice and beans are smart, but make sure you also include food that doesn’t rely on refrigeration or cooking to make a meal (like nut butters, jelly, tinned fish, and crackers). Don’t forget a manual can opener.

Gather an Emergency Kit

Besides food and water, help them create a go-to power outage kit that includes first aid supplies, candles, matches, flashlights, a battery-operated phone charger and radio, extra batteries, and a stash of extra blankets.

Install Storm Windows

Storm windows can be installed either inside or outside existing windows. They’re an energy efficient and cost effective way to improve insulation, and therefore keep mom or dad’s house warmer during winter.

Clean the Gutters

It may not be anyone’s favorite chore, but making sure gutters are clean and free of leaves or other debris that could create clogs should be a top priority as you help your aging parents prep for winter. Whether you hop up on the roof yourself or hire someone to clean them, cleaning out the gutters is wise to do before winter arrives, especially in colder climates where snow and ice can make clogs even more dangerous.

Next Steps 

Helping your aging parents prep their home for winter may seem daunting. but hopefully this short list of simple ways to support them gave you a few ideas to get started.

Have questions? We’re always here to talk through how we can best support you and your family.

If you could use any more specific guidance on helping them plan for winter, we’d love to help. Feel free to call us at 855-461-2552, or send us a message, anytime.

The post 5 Ways to Help Your Aging Parent Prepare Their Home for Winter appeared first on Benton House.

But not all disasters require the same type of preparedness. Let’s take a look at hurricane prep for seniors.

Hurricane Stats for the United States

What exactly are hurricanes, and how common are they?

Hurricanes are huge, swirling storms that occur along coastlines in the United States and can spread as far as 100 miles inland. Dangers include storm surges, torrential rain, and high, destructive winds.

An average of 12 tropical storms (6 of which become hurricanes) form over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico during hurricane season — which runs from June 1st to November 30th each year. Over a typical two-year period, the U.S. coastline is struck by an average of 3 hurricanes.

Seniors Are Especially Vulnerable To Hurricanes

It’s important for anyone living in the coastal U.S. to consider hurricane preparedness, but seniors face particular challenges. A big one: isolation. Did you know older people in the U.S. are more likely to live alone than anywhere else in the world?

Isolation presents many challenges for seniors, and disaster preparedness is one of them. Not having the safety and comfort of live-in family, housemates, or an assisted living community can often mean not having easily accessible help when it comes to preparing for a hurricane. And who among us wants to prepare, hunker down, or evacuate our homes without support?

When you also consider the higher likelihood of both limited mobility and specific medical needs, you can easily see why seniors face more storm-related challenges than many of us.

That’s where you can help. Here are some ways you can support your elderly loved one in lowering their risk and feeling safer by preparing for hurricanes before they happen.

Senior Hurricane Preparedness: 5 Ways To Offer Support

 #1 Help develop a contact list

Maybe you live in the same town as your senior loved one, or perhaps you live in another state. Either way, we recommend working together to gather contact information for a local support network.

Consider neighbors, friends, and other family members who live nearby and are willing to help in case of emergency. Your loved one may have limited mobility and would need physical help evacuating—or they may simply need a friendly face to lend a hand boarding up windows. 

Make sure the contacts are in their smartphone as well as yours, and you designate a spot to keep the list physically as well.

We recommend including where to learn the latest hurricane news in this contact list as well. Good resources include the national weather service, their local government office, and local radio and tv news stations. 

 #2 Gather their medical info

Older adults are vulnerable to medication errors to begin with. When you factor in the potential chaos of evacuating for a hurricane—or at the very least, upsetting their routine with storm preparation—you can understand why helping them keep their medical information organized helps keep them safe.

Consider a simple medication chart template for a streamlined organization system they can easily take with them if necessary.

In the case of chronic conditions, disabilities, or allergies, medical alert jewelry is useful, too: it helps first responders know how to treat your loved one, even if they can’t speak for themselves.

#3 Make a Plan to Secure their Home

Proactive landscaping and home maintenance goes a long way in reducing hurricane damage to your senior loved one’s property. From keeping trees trimmed to installing storm shutters, it’s a good idea to stay ahead of hurricane prep well ahead of the season. Find a complete list of how to prepare a property on FEMA’s website.

#4 Build an evacuation kit

In case your loved one ends up needing to leave home for a nearby shelter, or evacuate their area entirely, having a prepared emergency kit will help them stay safe and healthy.

Besides their contact and medical info and devices, the kit should also include a disaster supply kit with water, non-perishables, flashlights, and anything else necessary to survive for a few days. Get a complete list from here.

Another consideration: cash, including small bills and coins.

#5 Help them plan refuge at home

If it turns out that they’re recommended to shelter in place, help your loved one make a plan of action for what to do at home in case of high winds. The best space is usually a small room, or even a closet or hallway on the lowest floor. The basic rule of thumb: get as many walls between you and the outdoors as possible, staying away from windows and glass doors.

Next Steps: Hurricane Prep for Seniors

If your loved one lives alone in an area with a hurricane season, you want to help them prepare as best you can. Hurricanes and strong storms can be scary, but taking the steps to prepare ahead of time can soothe anxieties, reduce property damage, and save lives.

Any questions about how to keep your loved one safe in the event of a hurricane? Please reach out by calling us at 855-461-2552 or send us a message, anytime. We’re here to help.

The post Hurricane Prep for Seniors: 5 Ways to Support Your Loved One appeared first on Benton House.

On average, about 1,200 tornadoes are reported each year in the United States. In 2021, 1,376 touched down in the US, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

While many aren’t deadly, 2021’s twisters claimed about 100 lives. Which means It’s a good idea to talk with your loved one about how they can best prepare in the event of a tornado in their area.

In this article, you’ll learn how to help your loved one know what to look for, how to best prepare their home, and what to do if a tornado actually touches down in their area.

Let’s dive in.

Tornado Safety for Seniors: Know What to Look For

If your loved one lives in an area affected by tornadoes, make a plan ahead of time with them for what to do if there is a tornado alert. Here are some tips to consider.

When is the tornado season for different areas of the United States?

While tornadoes can happen any time of year, here are the times they’re most likely for different areas of the US. For the southern Plains, peak tornado season is May through early June. On the Gulf, it’s early in the spring. For the northern Plains and upper Midwest, tornadoes are most likely in June or July.

Know the difference: tornado watch versus tornado warning

A tornado watch means there is a good chance one will touch down nearby, and usually includes many counties and lasts for several hours.

A tornado warning, on the other hand, means severe weather is already present. If a tornado watch is issued for their area, it’s time to immediately seek shelter and put your tornado response plan into action.

Know what tornado conditions look like

Help your loved one understand tornado conditions: dark, greenish skies, large hail, dark and rotating low-hanging cloud formations, and a loud, train-like roar.

Make sure your loved one’s smartphone receives Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

The Wireless Emergency Alert system allows authorized national, state, or local governments to send public alerts — including tornado alerts — to participating wireless carriers. Most smart phones are set up to automatically receive WEA alerts, but not all providers necessarily opt in to using this voluntary government service, so we recommend checking with your carrier.

Understand tornado warning signals for their area

Make sure your loved one knows where a tornado watch or warning could come in. Besides WEA, severe weather warnings are issued through outdoor warning sirens, local and cable television, local radio stations, smartphone apps, and NOAA weather radio.

What to prepare in case of a tornado

While you can’t know how any home will fare during a tornado, here is how to keep your loved one as safe as possible if a twister does touch down in their area.

Designate a go-to safe area at home, or nearby

Identify a place for household members and pets to gather during a tornado: according to the Red Cross, good choices include a basement or small room on ground level like a bathroom or closet with no windows

In a high-rise, find a hallway in the center of the building, in case there isn’t time to get to the lowest floor. Mobile homes are unsafe for tornadoes, so designate a nearby building instead.

Locate a local emergency shelter

What if your loved one must evacuate their home? The Red Cross offers a free shelter program, with an interactive map so you can help find them a nearby safe place.

Put together a tornado safety kit

Include food, water, a first aid kit, a flashlight (with extra batteries), matches and candles, cash and credit cards, and instructions on how to turn off the home’s utilities.

Consider a medical alert device for seniors

These systems can contact emergency services if a disaster happens, to get your loved one help when it’s needed.

Help your loved one know what to do during a tornado

If a tornado does touch down where your loved one lives, here is what the CDC recommends to do to stay safe during a tornado.

If they see warning signs, take immediate shelter

Make sure your loved one knows their safe place, and that a tornado warning means it’s time to immediately seek their designated shelter. For added protection, they can get under something sturdy, like a workbench or heavy table, and cover their body with a blanket or even a mattress, especially their head.

Seniors with limited mobility can protect themselves by covering up

If your loved one is in a wheelchair, or can’t move without assistance, they can protect themselves from falling objects by covering up with blankets and pillows.

Keep pets indoors

They should gather any companion animals and keep them close by and under control in the safe space.

Bring indoors items that could be picked up by strong wind (only if there is time)

If there is advance warning of an approaching tornado, it’s a good idea to bring outdoor items like grills, trashcans, lawn furniture — anything that could become a flying object in high winds — indoors.

Next steps: tornado safety for seniors

If your loved one lives alone in an area with a tornado season, you want to do the best you can to help them prepare. While severe weather can be scary, knowing how to prepare their home in the event of a tornado can help calm nerves, and even save lives.

If you have any more specific questions about how to keep your loved one safe in the event of a tornado, please reach out by calling us at  855-461-2552 or send us a message, anytime. We’re always here to help.

The post Tornado Safety Tips for Seniors appeared first on Benton House.