This Year, Give the Gift of Emergency Preparedness

Here come the holidays! Are you shopping for your older parents, grandparents and other senior loved ones? It can be hard to think of the perfect gift for older adults. A tie, a fruitcake, cologne, a gadget that he or she may not even use…?

Here's an idea for a thoughtful holiday gift: give the gift of preparedness! Year after year, news coverage of emergencies raises awareness that older adults are hardest hit by storms, tornadoes, earthquakes and other natural and manmade disasters. For example: almost three-fourths of the people who died as the result of Hurricane Katrina were over 60. More recently, when Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast, about half of the victims were seniors. Heat waves claim the lives of seniors every year. In Japan, the recent tsunami took the lives of many elderly. Seniors with physical limitations can be stranded in their homes, unable to evacuate, cut off from the services upon which they rely. Older adults who use oxygen, power wheelchairs, dialysis and other medical equipment face real danger in power outages.

It may not seem very festive to focus on this reality during the holidays—but this is a great time for the whole family to show their love and caring for senior relatives by taking practical steps to ensure their safety.

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