HURRICANE GUIDE - HURRICANES AND SENIOR NEEDS

The elderly are much more likely to suffer during and after a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, than most people. Many are shut-ins so they have no way to get the help needed. They also realize their limitations and may tend to worry more about the situation.

It is important that their family or friends help to have systems in place to alleviate the worry and problems caused by a natural disasters. That way we can assure them as well as ourselves that they will be safe from harm during this time.

While under normal circumstances, our senior citizens wouldn't need help, once some of their support structure is eliminated they find it even more difficult to manage these situations.. Therefore we need to provide the needed support they require to survive.

While this may not include all the elderly, we must pay attention to both the physically fit and the medically needy because changes in environment such as extreme heat and humidity can dramatically affect both categories.

Some older adults live alone and are more dependent on services geared towards their age and health group, such as meals or home health care, brought from outside. These services may or may not be able to continue after a disaster even though many seniors depend on them.

We also need to pay attention to the evacuation or our elderly as many are unable to remove themselves from a dangerous situation.