Southwest Florida has skated through hurricane season so far, but Senior Friendship Centers isn’t waiting for the first cone of uncertainty to get older adults ready. The group released a disaster preparedness guide covering the before, during, and after of a storm, built specifically around the challenges seniors face. Mobility limits, no transportation, gaps in technology, financial strain, and managing multiple prescriptions during an evacuation all make storm prep harder for older residents than for just about anyone else. You can find the guide through Senior Friendship Centers, and it’s worth a look whether you’re a senior or the person who looks after one.
CEO Erin McLeod says her biggest concern is isolation, older adults living alone with no one checking on them when a storm approaches. Her advice to the rest of us is refreshingly simple: if you know an older neighbor who lives alone, reach out and give them your name and phone number. That one connection can be the difference between a scary night and a safe one. It takes a community to make sure everyone is safe, and here on the Suncoast, that’s a role we can all take on.
If you’d rather get help in person, two local events are on the calendar. The Rotonda West Community Connections Fair runs September 30 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the Senior Resilience Resource Fair is set for October 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Port Charlotte. Both are aimed at seniors and caregivers looking for practical resources before the season’s next turn.
Do you have a plan to check on an older neighbor when a storm heads our way? Tell us how you look out for each other in your community.
