Ready Before the Storm: Building a Personal Hurricane Emergency Plan With an 82-Year-Old Man Who Lives Alone
Student Name
RN to BSN Program, Aspen University
N495: Health Assessment
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Slide 2: Why Older Adults Need Their Own Plan
Older adults are more likely to die in disasters
Hurricane Katrina: 49 percent of Louisiana victims were 75 or older
Only about a third of older adults have had any disaster preparedness education
Chronic illness, medications, and mobility limits raise the stakes
Speaker notes: Disasters are especially dangerous for older adults. Among 971 Katrina-related deaths identified in Louisiana, 49 percent were people aged 75 and older, and older age was strongly associated with dying in the storm (Brunkard et al., 2008). A national survey of more than 1,300 older adults found that only 34 percent had taken part in any educational program or read materials about disaster preparation, and that older age, disability, lower education, and lower income were each associated with worse preparedness (Al-Rousan et al., 2014). A personal plan, made before the season, closes part of that gap.
Slide 3: Meet Mr. D.
Composite client, age 82, widower, lives alone in a one-story house near the Gulf Coast
Type 2 diabetes on insulin, hypertension, atrial fibrillation on an anticoagulant
Mild memory problems; walks with a cane; no longer drives at night
Daughter lives 3 hours inland; neighbor checks on him weekly
Speaker notes: Mr. D. is a composite client created for this presentation. He has lived in his house for 40 years and rode out several storms there. He takes insulin twice daily and an anticoagulant, both of which make interruptions in care dangerous. His mild memory problems mean that written instructions matter. He values his independence and says he will leave only if the storm is "a big one." The plan was developed with him over two home visits.
Slide 4: Step 1, Assess His Risks
Hazard: hurricanes, storm surge, and multi-day power loss
Medications that cannot be missed: insulin, anticoagulant
Insulin needs refrigeration or a cooling case
Mobility and memory limits affect evacuation and sheltering
Speaker notes: The first step is assessing risk with him. His house lies in a storm surge evacuation zone, so the main decision is when to leave. His insulin and anticoagulant cannot be stopped without risk, and insulin needs to be kept cool. His cane, his inability to drive at night, and his memory problems all affect how and when he can evacuate. Naming these risks with him made the plan feel like his own rather than a lecture.
Slide 5: Step 2, The Go-Bag
Two-week supply of all medications in original containers
Insulin in a cooling case; syringes or pens, glucose meter, strips, glucose tablets
Copies of medication list, insurance cards, ID, and advance directive in a waterproof bag
Eyeglasses, hearing aids and batteries, spare cane
Speaker notes: The go-bag is packed and kept by the door from June through November. The most important item is a two-week supply of medications, which requires working with his pharmacy and provider, because many insurance plans allow early refills when an emergency is declared. His insulin goes in an evaporative cooling case. Documents are sealed in a waterproof bag, including his medication list with doses and his anticoagulant clearly marked, since anyone treating him after an injury must know about it.
Slide 6: Step 3, Supplies at Home
Water: one gallon per person per day for several days
Nonperishable food he can open and eat without cooking
Flashlights, batteries, battery-powered or hand-crank radio
Phone charger that works without household power
Speaker notes: If he shelters at home through a weaker storm, he needs supplies for several days without power. National preparedness guidance recommends at least one gallon of water per person per day for several days (Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA], n.d.). Food is chosen for easy opening, since his hands have arthritis. A battery-powered radio ensures he hears evacuation orders even if the power and internet fail, and a power bank keeps his phone charged for calls to his daughter.
Slide 7: Step 4, When to Leave
Leave when a mandatory evacuation is ordered for his zone, no exceptions
Leave early if a voluntary evacuation is ordered and his daughter can drive him
Destination: daughter's home 3 hours inland
Backup: register with the county special needs evacuation program
Speaker notes: The hardest part of the plan is the decision to leave. After discussing the Katrina data and his own health, Mr. D. agreed to a simple rule: if a mandatory evacuation is ordered for his zone, he leaves. If a voluntary order is issued and his daughter is available, he leaves early to avoid traffic and night driving. Because he may not be able to arrange transportation on short notice, we registered him with the county's special needs evacuation program, which provides transportation for residents who cannot evacuate on their own.
Slide 8: Step 5, Communication Plan
Daughter is the primary contact; out-of-state son is backup
Neighbor agrees to check in person when a storm is forecast
Emergency contact numbers written on a card in his wallet and on the refrigerator
Text messages often get through when calls do not
Speaker notes: Communication often fails during disasters. Mr. D.'s plan names his daughter as the primary contact and his son as backup, and his neighbor agreed to check on him in person when a storm is forecast. Because of his memory problems, the numbers are written on a wallet card and posted on the refrigerator rather than stored only in his phone. His daughter taught him to send a short text, since texts often go through when calls do not.
Slide 9: Step 6, Medication and Health Plan
Written insulin plan for missed meals, reviewed with his provider
Signs of low blood sugar and what to do
Anticoagulant: never double a missed dose; seek care for any head injury or heavy bleeding
Know the nearest open pharmacy after the storm
Speaker notes: Disasters disrupt meals and routines, which can cause high or low blood sugar in a person taking insulin. His provider reviewed a written plan for adjusting insulin if meals are missed, and I reviewed the signs of low blood sugar with him using teach-back. For his anticoagulant, the key messages are not to double a missed dose and to seek care for any head injury or heavy bleeding, both more likely during cleanup. After the storm, he will call his pharmacy or check local announcements to find open pharmacies.
Slide 10: Step 7, Practice the Plan
Walk through the plan in May, before hurricane season
Pack the go-bag together and check expiration dates
Practice the drive to his daughter's home once in daylight
Review and update the plan every year
Speaker notes: A plan works only if it is familiar. We walked through it together, packed the go-bag, and scheduled a daylight trial drive to his daughter's home. His daughter will review the plan with him every May and replace expired medications and batteries. Practice also reduces anxiety, since he now knows exactly what he will do when the forecast turns.
Slide 11: The Nurse's Role
Identify older adults at risk during routine visits
Help build individualized plans, not just hand out checklists
Coordinate with pharmacies, providers, and county programs
Advocate for accessible shelters and transportation
Speaker notes: Nurses in primary care, home health, and community settings are well placed to identify older adults who need emergency plans, especially those who live alone, take critical medications, or depend on others for transportation. The national survey showed that most older adults have had no preparedness education, which is an opportunity for nursing (Al-Rousan et al., 2014). Nurses can help build plans, coordinate early refills and registry enrollment, and advocate at the community level for shelters and transportation that meet older adults' needs.
Slide 12: Summary
Older adults face the highest risk in disasters
A personal plan covers supplies, medications, evacuation, communication, and practice
Build the plan with the older adult, respecting independence
Review it every year before the season
Speaker notes: Mr. D. began the process saying he would leave only for a big one. He ended it with a packed go-bag, a clear rule for when to leave, a registered transportation option, and a medication plan he can explain in his own words. That is the goal of a personal emergency plan for an older adult: not to take away independence, but to make sure that independence does not become isolation when a storm arrives.
References
Al-Rousan, T. M., Rubenstein, L. M., & Wallace, R. B. (2014). Preparedness for natural disasters among older US adults: A nationwide survey. American Journal of Public Health, 104(3), 506-511. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301559
Brunkard, J., Namulanda, G., & Ratard, R. (2008). Hurricane Katrina deaths, Louisiana, 2005. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 2(4), 215-223. https://doi.org/10.1097/DMP.0b013e31818aaf55
Federal Emergency Management Agency. (n.d.). Build a kit. Ready.gov. Retrieved from https://www.ready.gov/kit
How this N 495 Module 7 example is structured
N495 Module 7 typically asks for a PowerPoint of at least 10 slides on emergency planning for an older adult: identifying emergency supplies and creating a personal emergency plan together with an older adult. Aspen revises courses, so check your classroom for requirements. This example opens with the evidence on older adults' disaster risk, introduces one composite client, builds his plan step by step with him, tailors each element to his conditions and closes with the nurse's role.
N495 Module 7 questions, answered
What does N495 Module 7 usually ask for?
Commonly a PowerPoint of at least 10 slides on an emergency plan for an older adult: identify the emergency supplies needed and create a personal plan with an older adult. The module's discussion often addresses the hazards of hospitalization for older adults and how to prevent them.
What should an older adult's emergency kit include?
At least a two-week supply of medications in original containers, supplies such as glucose meters or cooling cases if needed, copies of medication lists and important documents in a waterproof bag, eyeglasses and hearing aids, water, easy-open food, a radio and a charger that works without household power.
How do I make the plan personal rather than generic?
Build it around the person's specific conditions, medications, mobility, memory, supports and hazards, and involve them in each decision. The sample's plan includes an insulin cooling case, an anticoagulant warning, a simple evacuation rule and written contact cards for a client with mild memory problems.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.