Safety Tips for Seniors in Case of a Power Outage

After some time without electricity, the freezer will start defrosting, the building begins to overheat or freeze because the air-conditioner has stopped working, and there’s no way of calling for help with the landline phone. And worst still, without bright lights the chance of the elderly falling at night increases tenfold, but at the same time lighting a candle could risk the whole house burning down. Seniors must prepare themselves for the possibility of a power outage.

Another factor to consider is the extreme weather conditions. If the power outage happens during a hot summer, seniors might want to find ways to cool down, perhaps frequently chill in the basement, put wet bandages on their forehead and keep the shades closed until the sun is setting. The loss of electricity is even more dangerous during the winter, especially if elderly residents are using it to power the heater.

Seniors often resort to setting up a generator in order to supplement themselves with backup power. However a generator should never ever be operated inside the home or the garage because such a machine is a health hazard. This was something that Mr and Mrs Sibett were unfortunately unaware of, ultimately leading to their unfortunate demise due to carbon-monoxide poisoning. They powered up the generator in their garage after a storm left their home and millions of others without electricity.

It’s important to mention that the device type determines the capacity of the backup battery. In-home stations last longer than on-the-go or mobile stations, an aspect worth considering for seniors who live in an area where storms or natural disasters can be frequent. Furthermore, the wearable buttons also come with their own power source, guaranteeing peace of mind for years without the need to exchange the battery.

Nationwide disaster sabotage even medical alert systems

Unfortunately, medical alert systems aren’t viable in every disaster situation. The two-day backup energy of the base hub is enough to survive a local outage, but national disasters — such as hurricanes or statewide storms — are known to cause serious complications. When Hurricane Irma slammed Florida, it left so much collateral damage in its wake that even the monitoring stations were crippled due to the loss of power. Although seniors were successfully evacuated, if they decided to stay then they would have been unable to call for help if something happened to them.

In such situations when the services of the whole system fail, there is little to nothing that seniors can do. The best course of action is to follow the steps of their emergency preparedness plan. There’s a lot more to know, but put briefly the prepared should have spare supplies, flashlights, extra batteries and formulate an action plan to avoid hazardous situations.