Tender Loving Eldercare» Safety

What If Your Aging Parents Refuse to Evacuate in a Hurricane?

Linda Abbit — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:03:36 +0000

In the United States, the weekend news focused on the story of Hurricane Irene, before, during and after the storm hit. There was one news story I heard that raised some practical, even ethical, questions for family caregivers regarding natural disasters, emergency plans and our aging parents (or Golden Oldies as I prefer to call them).

A TV reporter was interviewing a man in a NY suburb outside his father’s house the morning after Hurricane Irene passed through. He was talking about how his 93-year-old father refused to evacuate, even when the water started coming into his house through the front and back doors. The son, wearing waders to walk through the waist-deep flood waters, was talking to the reporter outdoors, had already checked on his father who remained ensconced on the second floor of his house, and luckily was okay.

That’s a happy ending. But . . . it brought up many questions in my mind:

Do people have the right to ignore mandatory evacuation orders?

Do we as adult children have the right to force our aged parents to evacuate? Or, should we respect their decision not to leave their homes even if it could put them in harm’s way? Does their safety override treating them with dignity and respect?

Although my parents have passed away, what would I have done in this situation? I’m still thinking this one over. On the one hand, I’d want to insist they leave; but on the other hand, they are adults and entitled to their own opinions and decisions.

What would you do if your parents decided not to evacuate?

If you decide to make them evacuate, could you physically do so? I’m barely 5’2′ and petite — I doubt I could have done it alone.

How prepared are we and our Golden Oldies for any natural disasters that might occur to our homes? There was also a rare earthquake on the east coast of the United States last week that many people had no idea how to respond to safely, according to news reports I heard.

How prepared are assisted living, board & cares, and skilled nursing facilities for natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and tornadoes? If your aging relatives are residents of a senior community, please find out. Ask exactly how detailed their emergency plans are, where the residents would be evacuated to, what basic life-sustaining supplies they keep on hand, if their caregivers would remain on the job or go home to be with their families, and who the back up caregivers would be? You have a right to know how your loved ones’ care could be affected by a natural disaster, and decide if you’d want to bring your Golden Oldies to your home in this critical situation.

What would these senior communities do if one or some of their residents chose not to evacuate? Do they have a plan in place in case that occurs?

Even if we don’t have all the answers to these questions now, they are worth asking, discussing with our Golden Oldies and making emergency preparedness plans before Mother Nature strikes again.

Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below. I’m curious about what you have to say.

NOTE: The American Red Cross is one place to find excellent information and local resources for emergency planning and response. You can do so by clicking here.

Tips for Safeguarding Your Online Life

Linda Abbit — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:00:49 +0000

After witnessing my friend’s medical emergency last month, I’ve been thinking a lot about what would happen if something similar happened to me. What if I was incapacitated suddenly in some way and unable to communicate — or worse?

As we age, we learn it’s vital to have “our affairs in order,” which means we usually create a will, living trust, durable power of attorney for finances, and durable power of attorney for health care.

But let’s focus on our online world now.

With statistics clearly showing more and more baby boomers and seniors active online, we need to gather important information about this part of our lives as well. For example, a Nielsen Company survey in 2009 revealed that 51.2% of people ages 65 and older are paying or viewing their bills online, and I presume that number has grown considerably in the past two years.

If you pay your bills online, what happens if you suddenly can’t log on? Do your spouse, adult children or significant other have your usernames, passwords, account numbers, etc. to continue seamlessly where you left off? Is there a hard copy of this information recorded off line to refer to? Does your estate attorney, C.P.A. , banker, trusted friend or advisor have this information handy if needed?

Do You Have A System in Place?

Record in a document and keep up-to-date all URL’s (aka web site addresses), usernames, passwords, other log in information and/or details about the items listed below. Then create a backup of this information both online and off line. I suggest you collect the following for everyone in your immediate family, including your children and your parents, no matter what their ages.

PayPal accounts
Online banking account(s)
Hosting accounts (if you have any web sites)
Online bills you pay or have auto-deductions set up for
Facebook, Twitter and/or any other social networks you belong to
Email accounts
flickr or other photo storage sites

If you run a business online, I would add the following to your list:

Domain names you’ve purchased but have not yet developed
Affiliate accounts for products you sell online (i.e. Commission Junction)
Clickbank and all shopping cart accounts (i.e. Amazon, eBay)
Autoresponder accounts and lists
Business email accounts

Have you given this issue any thought? Is there anything else you would add to these lists? Please leave a comment below.

Photo Credit: kodomut’s photostream

How Connected Are We Really? Lessons Learned from a Medical Emergency

Linda Abbit — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 09:00:26 +0000

Two weeks ago my friend, Penny, passed out while out dancing at a night club with a group of friends, including me.

Here are lessons I learned from this frightening night that may be helpful to people of all ages. As I write this, Penny remains in the hospital but, thankfully, is on the road to recovery. (Her name has been changed to protect her and her family’s privacy.)

While we live in an age where we think we’re constantly connected to each other via cell phones, when it comes to an emergency situation, how connected are we really?

The Emergency

Penny is a 63 year old, single woman who lives with her adult daughter, age 30, and her granddaughter, a teenager. When she collapsed that evening, she was unconscious and unable to speak or respond to us or the paramedics.

After she was rushed to the Emergency Room by the paramedics, her friends who were there tried to reach Penny’s daughter by phone. Each of us only had Penny’s home phone number in our cell phones. We knew her daughter’s name but did not have her cell phone number. We knew her son’s name but no one had his home or cell phone numbers in our phones.

As it happened, Penny’s daughter, Judy, was out for the evening and didn’t get the urgent messages we left on their home answering machine. Luckily, Penny’s granddaughter (instructed not to answer the home phone when she is home alone at night) heard us leaving the messages, called Judy on her cell phone, and she then called us from her cell phone.

This is a good reason NOT to give up your land line, as many younger people seem to be doing. How would we have reached Penny’s daughter if we couldn’t leave a message on her answering machine at home?

While We Were Waiting

As we were sitting in the waiting room of the ER, it dawned on us – did any of us have each other’s contact information in our cell phones? Would our friends know whom to call in case we were the patient in an emergency like this? The answer was a resounding “No!” We all knew our spouses’ or children’s names, but did not have the best number to reach them at, nor know whom we should call first.

On the spot we exchanged these contact numbers and entered them into our cell phones. I realized that in a stress-filled moment, I may not remember all of my friends’ family’s names so, for example, I entered “Tonys Daughter” as the first and last names in my contacts list.

Do Emergency Personnel Recommend “ICE”?

I remembered reading about “ICE” a few years ago, but wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to enter in my cell phone or not. I wondered if paramedics would look on my phone for such information if I was injured?

Yes, they do.

I called our local Police Department dispatch officer, Fire Department and local hospital emergency room staff. They all recommended people enter whom they want called and what number to use under “ICE” (which stands for “In Case of Emergency”) in their cell phones. If you want more than one person contacted in case of emergency, list them as ICE 1, ICE 2, etc.

ICE is a great idea, but what if the cell phone is damaged in the emergency, password protected, or gets separated from the injured person?

A Backup Plan for ICE

Along with having your driver’s license or some form of ID with you whenever you go out, keep a written list with emergency contacts, doctors’ contact information, and any important medical information on it. Have it with or adjacent to your ID card.

If your cell phone is damaged or separated from you, this information will be available for first responders in an emergency. The Los Angeles Fire Deparmtment wrote this on their blog in 2005:

“Please encourage your interested friends and colleagues to make a free ICE entry in their cell phone, especially if it will give them peace of mind – but never at the expense of written emergency contact and medical information.”

Because it was a crowded dance venue, Penny had left her wallet locked in the trunk of her car and did not bring it into the nightclub. The paramedics kept her cell phone, jacket and car keys with Penny, so we didn’t have a way to access the car’s trunk once they left for the ER. Luckily it worked out and we reached her family to tell them what had happened, but it did make me think about this situation long and hard. It doesn’t matter what age we are, it’s smart to be prepared for any and all emergencies.

Have you been in an emergency situation like this? What lessons did you learn? Please share them in the comment section below.

This blog post is part of a month-long series of ideas, tips and quotes for family caregivers. View additional posts from our “Caregiver Thought of the Day” series on our Facebook Page every day in January.

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Photo Credit: daryl_mitchell’s Photostream

Notice Decline in Your Aging Parents? Action Steps, Part 2

Linda Abbit — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 17:30:09 +0000

This is Part 2 in a series.

Please click here for Part 1 for more action steps and suggestions.

With the holidays and your family visits completed, if you noticed signs of physical or cognitive decline in your aging parents or other relatives, don’t panic! Here are excellent resources to turn to for help in answering the question, “Now what do I do?!”

Contact these resources for help online, by phone or in person:

Your local church or synagogue.

Administration on Aging

1-202-619-0724

Eldercare Locator

1-800-677-1116

Your doctor(s) or local hospitals and inquire about geriatricians and/or if there is a Geriatric Assessment Center near where you or your Golden Oldies (aka aging parents) live.

If there is any memory loss whatsoever, contact the Alzheimer’s Association. Your care recipient need not have an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in order to utilize their extensive resources. Patients and families with all types of memory loss are welcome. 24/7 Helpline: 1-800-272-3900

Dial 2-1-1 or go to 211Connects on the web, a community connection resource and part of the Alliance of Information & Referral Services (AIRS). [Available in 78% of the United States.]

Veteran’s Administration

1-800-827-1000

Medicare

1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
24 hours, 7 days a week, including some federal holidays.

Hire a qualified eldercare consultant or geriatric case manager.

Do you have any other resources you’ve used and can add to this list? Please do so in the Comments section below.

Notice Decline in Your Aging Parents? Action Steps — Part 1

Linda Abbit — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 09:00:57 +0000

In a recent post I provided a checklist to use in assessing your aging parents’ daily living situations while spending time together during the holidays. If you noticed signs of decline in either their physical or cognitive abilities, what steps can adult children take next? Here are some do’s and don’ts.

Don’t Feel Guilty

Don’t feel anger or guilt that you didn’t notice the decline sooner. This applies to you whether you live out of town or nearby. It’s difficult to acknowledge decline in those we love! As you start your caregiving journey, an important thing to remember is don’t be hard on yourself — starting now.

And now that you are aware their decline, don’t ignore it. Delaying your research, education and response to it too long could lead to harder and more complex decisions later.

Don’t Try to “Fix Them” Right Away

My generation, the baby boomers, are especially well-known for jumping in and trying to fix things when they’re broken. Issues that come with aging are not subject to quick fixes in many cases. It’s wise to become educated about what you see as disturbing, but hold off on making changes immediately (unless it is life-threatening), or even talking with your aging parents about the issues, until you do the following.

Research Potential Reasons For the Changes

Think carefully and logically about what might have caused the decline in your Golden Oldies. Try not to jump to conclusions and think the worst. For example, if they are experiencing dementia or some type of memory loss, there can be many things causing it, and it does not mean they have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Possible causes of memory problems can include thyroid problems, vitamin deficiencies, medication side effects and certain infections. Memory loss symptoms may improve when the underlying cause is treated.

Start your research by consulting their doctor(s) and/or other medical professionals. Call them and voice your concerns about what you see happening to your Golden Oldies and ak if they have insight into what could be the causes and what they recommend.

Don’t Go to Extremes

A Golden Oldie may be having some health or other aging issues at the moment, but that doesn’t mean they should immediately leave their long-established, comfortable home and move to a totally new environment. Perhaps they need in-home help with housekeeping and meal preparation only. Or they really don’t want to drive or pay their bills any longer. It may be easy to find family members to help in these areas or hire a non-medical companion as a first step. Don’t leap three steps ahead, when one baby step will do.

Have a Family Meeting

Even before you approach your Golden Oldies, have a talk with everyone concerned about their welfare. Use your judgment about whether to invite your aging parents to attend or not. It may be easier for participants to speak honestly and openly if your parents are not present at the initial meeting.

More Action Steps to Come

In an upcoming post, I will provide more ideas and resources for responding to any decline evident in your aging parents. In the meantime, start your research and education as outlined above. [Note: If you feel the decline in your aging parents could possibly be a serious health problem or life-threatening, contact the proper medical professional immediately. These are meant to be general guidelines and not to replace medical and/or legal advice.]

Please feel free as always to add your suggestions in the Comments section below.

Photo Credit: Enderst07′s photostream

Holidays with Your Aging Parents: Don’t Miss These Warning Signs

Linda Abbit — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:06:04 +0000

With the holidays rapidly approaching, many adult children will have extended visits with their aging parents (or Golden Oldies as I prefer to call them.) These visits provide an excellent opportunity to watch for signs of possible decline in your Golden Oldies’ physical and/or cognitive abilities.

Below is a checklist to use when visiting your aging parents (or relatives) during the holiday season. This list can also be used by adult children who live close to their parents, but who may not spend time with them on a regular basis. It’s an all-year-round checklist.

Personal Care and Hygiene

Are they bathed and well-groomed?

Hair cut, washed and styled?

Fingernails clean?

Teeth brushed and breath smelling good?

Are their clothes well-maintained or are there stains or tears? Are they wearing the same clothes several days in a row? Do their clothes fit properly?

Physical Checkpoints

Has there been any unusual weight loss or gain?

Are they eating healthy meals or have their eating habits changed?

Check if their hearing and vision abilities are the same.

Are they moving as well as before? Is their gait regular? Do they seem weak or off balance when they walk? Are they holding on to furniture or walls as they move around their home?

Do they seem less energetic?

How are they sleeping? Have their sleep habits changed? Are they sleeping more or less than in previous years?

Do they have bruising or swollen legs, ankles or feet?

Do they need help dressing, bathing, or using the toilet?

Are they taking their medications as prescribed? Are they clear on what the medications are for and what the required dosages are? Have they kept up with refills as needed?

Psychological Components

Do they seem to you like the Mom and Dad you remember or does something seem different or “off?” Listen to your instincts.

Are they repeating stories or questions? Are they forgetful?

Are they crying or getting angry more easily? Are they fearful of things that didn’t worry them before?

Have they lost interest in activities and/or hobbies they used to enjoy?

Are they staying home more and limiting social engagements?

Do you notice signs of increased alcohol use?

Environment

How is their driving? (Do a “ride along” to check on it!) Do their reflexes seem slower? Have they gotten lost going to familiar places? Have they stopped driving at night?

Are there new dents or dings in the car or garage? Can they explain where they came from?

Does the house look and smell clean? Are the linens fresh? Is the “deep cleaning” being done to the house?

Is the yard tidy and well-groomed?

Are pets and/or house plants being taken care of adequately?

Are the refrigerator, pantry, counter tops and cupboards clean?

Is the food old or expired? Check the dates on the milk, cottage cheese, etc.

Has food been left out on the counter that should have been refrigerated?

Is the house cluttered? Are garbage and trash accumulating?

Is the mail piling up and not opened? Are newspapers being read and discarded in a timely manner?

What Next?

Thoroughly enjoy the holidays and the precious time with your aging parents and relatives. Use this time together as a subtle “reconnaissance mission” and subtly observe them and makes notes to yourself (writing them down later, not in front of them) about any concerns you see or suspect. Unless you walk into life-threatening health or medical situations, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Hanukkah are not the time to “fix” anything. Keep the mood pleasant and create happy family memories.

While any of the warning signs above could mean your Golden Oldies are declining and not coping with daily living as well as before, they may or may not be serious. Some things could be corrected easily. Some assessment is needed before you jump in and try to make changes that either aren’t needed or aren’t welcomed by your aging parents. Do your best to hold off saying or doing anything and enjoy the holiday season together. Making memories is important, too.

In a future post, I’ll address what you can do next if you notice changes have occurred in your Golden Oldies.

Can you think of anything I’ve overlooked that can be added to this checklist? I’d appreciate it if you write it in the Comment section below.

Do Your Aging Parents Think Like a Black Belt?

Linda Abbit — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:26:05 +0000

Over the holiday weekend I read the e-book Think Like A Black Belt: Take Charge of Your Personal Safety by Lori Hoeck. The author presents 15 powerful safety tips for preventing assault and dealing with an attack. It is an excellent how-to book about raising our awareness, relying on intuition, reducing vulnerability and learning emergency thinking in order to avoid becoming a target of attack by a criminal. This is not instructions on how-to-do karate or tae kwon do. It is a book about not getting into situations where we need to fight, but preparing ourselves mentally in case we do.

I grew up in New York and I jokingly refer to my “New York paranoia” when friends tease me about keeping my home doors locked during the day, or never walking out to my car alone at night from a store or restaurant. In reading this book I realized this “New York paranoia” is actually my own Inner Warrior at work.

Although most of us do not have time to train for years in karate or self defense, we all possess an Inner Warrior who simply needs awakening to prevent attack. . . . Driving is an example of your Inner Warrior at work. Survival skills honed through history allow us to monitor our environment while performing everyday tasks, instantly leaping from normal to survival mode in a flash without freezing.

At the end of each chapter, Hoeck includes talking points to discuss with our children to keep them safer. As I read however, I realized we should be talking with our aging parents about them as well. And even more importantly, if our Golden Oldies are not able to rely on their Inner Warriors due to physical or mental decline, we as family caregivers need to become more vigilant regarding their safety.

Here are a few points Hoeck raises in her book (in bold) and my responses to get you thinking about your seniors’ personal safety:

Criminals often work from convenience, looking for easy targets. Do your aging parents appear vulnerable (preoccupied, timid, frail, confused) when they are out in public?

Criminals also look for non-physical weaknesses to exploit. One of them is manipulating a person’s trust. If your aging parent suddenly has new “best friends” or “helpers,” be sure they are not criminals trying to worm their way into their lives, and then further into their finances or wills. This can happen very slowly and nearly imperceptibly over time, so just be aware. Seniors are at a higher risk for this type of emotional or financial abuse because they may be lonely from the death of their spouse or friends.

Use body language like armor . . . portraying a sense of confidence . . . even if you are in a wheel chair or walking bent over with a cane. Our aging parents can exude strong body language through their eyes, voices, setting personal space boundaries, and appearing calm.

Be safe and keep your loved ones safe, too! Have you ever discussed these ideas with your aging parents?

Are there other eldercare safety concerns you have? Please share them in the Comments below.

Hoeck is a former volunteer firefighter and EMT, a third-degree black belt and senior instructor in the martial arts. If you are interested in buying her book for yourself, your children or your aging parents, you can purchase it on her website. She also authors an excellent self-defense blog, Think Like a Black Belt, with personal safety information for people of all ages.

Implement Nationwide Silver Alerts for Missing Seniors

Linda Abbit — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:00:29 +0000

Missing children grab headlines, but missing senior citizens are far more common. In the United States there are currently more than 5 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease and that figure is expected to grow to as much as 16 million by 2050.

According to an article by Alex Johnson, an MSNBC reporter,

“About 60 percent of such patients wander away from their homes or care facilities at some point, according to the Alzheimer’s Association; about half of those who are not found within 24 hours suffer serious injury or even death.”

The North Carolina Center for Missing Persons instituted the Silver Alert program in November 2007, inspired by Amber Alerts for missing children. Of the nearly 40 alerts issued in North Carolina, all but four of the missing persons were found alive, the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety said. The numbers are almost identical in Texas, where a similar program was also implemented last year.

Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, who cared for his own father as he struggled through the final stages of Alzheimer’s, noted that few states have senior alert programs — only 11, with others considering them. At the time of my writing, there is a bill on the Senate floor sponsored by Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, which would establish a national Silver Alert communications network to coordinate search efforts and give grants to states to take part.

Police and policy-makers said they would welcome the help, saying in general, it is harder to find a missing senior citizen than it is to find a missing child. People may think it odd if they see a child walking alone and approach them, but most people may not think it out of the ordinary if a senior is walking alone. Or they do not want to embarrass the Golden Oldie or invade their privacy if they’re outside on their own.

I’ve recommended before as part of a Senior Safety Net for Golden Oldies/our aging parents that they wear MedicAlert ID bracelets. These are also used in conjunction with the Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return program. Silver Alerts would take this concept to an even broader level of action and response.

I’m hoping this important program will be implemented quickly nationwide and prove to be as effective as Amber Alerts have been!

To read the original article which contains the 11 states that have implemented the program, please click here.

No related posts.

How a Bus Stop Helps Prevent Wandering in Alzheimer’s Patients

Linda Abbit — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:00:50 +0000

As a family caregiver, I find it encouraging to read creative solutions to common problems we face and this news story certainly contains one!

If you have cared for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, you know your Golden Oldie could possibly wander off and become lost. In Dusseldorf, Germany, the Benrath Senior Centre, came up with an innovative strategy to prevent this from occurring. They put up an exact replica of a standard stop sign outside their facility, with one difference — no buses ever stop there!

Center residents who go outside intent on returning to their often nonexistent prior homes and families, make a beeline for the green-and-yellow bus stop sign and wait for the bus to arrive.

“We will approach them and say that the bus is coming later and invite them in for a coffee,” said Richard Neureither, Benrath’s director. “Five minutes later they have completely forgotten they wanted to leave.”

This idea has proven so successful that it has now been adopted by several other senior homes across Germany. I hope it’s tried here in the United States as well.

Original news story from the UK Telegraph News can be read here.

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I am on my Golden Oldies Whirlwind Tour (See post of October 20th below). Our regular features, “Inspiring Quotes for Caregivers” and “Funny Fridays,” will return next week!

We Interrupt This Regularly-Scheduled Eldercare Blog To Bring You . . . An Earthquake!

Linda Abbit — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:58:34 +0000

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck southern California at 11:42am today, where my 99 year-old mother and our family live!

It was the strongest earthquake to strike a populated area of southern California since the 1994 Northridge (Los Angeles) quake. The epicenter was in Chino Hills, about an hour away from our homes, and it rocked the region from Los Angeles to San Diego. There were also dozens of aftershocks, the largest so far being a magnitude 3.8.

I was just leaving my Mom’s board and care home and was halfway down the path to the street, when I heard what sounded like the front door behind me being opened and closed again. I didn’t think anything of it, because one of the other residents often goes to the door, looks out and then closes it again. As I got down to the street, a caregiver opened the front door and called out to me, “Did you feel it?” I said, “Feel what?” Since I was walking, I had no idea an earthquake had even occurred. The sounds I heard were actually the front door rattling due to the quake. I went back into the house entryway and saw the overhead light fixture swaying side-to-side above me, which is a classic sign of an earthquake.

I’m happy to report that everything there and at my house is fine. No injuries, a few things were knocked over, but nothing was broken. We are all very lucky!

Of course, this got me thinking about our aging parents and earthquake preparedness!

Here are a few things I did and you can do should an earthquake (or other natural disaster) strike where one of your Golden Oldies lives:

If you live near your parents, go over to their home as soon as possible to check for possible injuries and provide first aid. I was thankful to be “on the spot” at the board and care when the earthquake hit so I could check everything immediately.

Check the gas, water and electric lines. Fires could start, so beware. Check phone lines too, replacing receivers if they’ve been knocked off by the shaking.

Walk through the house with your parents to check for anything that fell off shelves or the walls, especially breakables. Watch for broken glass.

If you can’t get there quickly enough, ask one of their neighbors to do a walk-through with them. Another reason why I recommend you have those phone numbers handy as part of a Senior Safety Net.

If they need to evacuate, will you, another family member or neighbor of theirs be able to assit them? Where will they go? Having a plan in place is vital, especially if they are bedridden, in a wheelchair, or need assistance walking.

Even before an earthquake hits, when you are visiting their homes (or decorating their room in an assisted living or a board and care), think about what you hang on the walls near their beds. I purposely hung only a small fabric collage over my Mom’s bed, so if it ever did fall in an earthquake it wouldn’t hurt her. You may also want to bolt any heavy furniture, bookcases and mirrors to the walls so they don’t fall over.

Do they have an up-to-date earthquake preparedness kit in their home? Do they have extra medication, special foods and water for several days? Do they have pet supplies if needed?

If they live in an assisted living facility, board and care, or nursing home, be sure there is both an eathquake kit and relocation plan in place, and that all of the caregivers are trained about what to do if a natural disaster strikes. These things will probably be in place due to licensing requirements, but it is always wise to double check. I called the administration of my Mom’s board and care this afternoon to be sure they were on top of disaster preparedness.

Here is a free, in-depth reference guide written by the Los Angeles Fire Department called “The Earthquake Preparedness Handbook” with detailed instructions for before and after a quake, as well as checklists to use in creating a kit for their (or your) home. You can either read it online or print it out.

And on a personal note, our 18 year-old son was sitting on the backyard patio of our home when the quake struck. He said the trees and patio cover shook like crazy! He grabbed our dog and ducked under the patio table for cover. Smart guy!

Have you or your aging parents survived an earthquake? What other things can you think of to add to this list?