Bugging In Place with the Elderly

Today I have a guest post from Lukas Nicholson. Lukas contacted me about writing a guest post on a subject I hadn’t really thought about. Buggin in with the elderly. I know many of you have parents and grandparents at home with you. Enjoy -James

When SHTF, most of us won’t have a secondary bug out location we can run to and wait out the chaos. In fact, the vast majority of preppers plan to essentially bug in place. That is probably a wise decision. Unless you have a fully stocked location nestled away somewhere out of town that can provide adequate shelter, food, water and security for an extended period of time, you best not plan on “heading for the hills” at the first sign of trouble.

Bugging out becomes even less of an option if you have elderly family or friends to account for. But I would guess that when most people are making plans they are not realistically considering the needs of their elder members. Before continuing, it should be made clear that not all older individuals will need special attention. Many are physically and mentally fit and perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.

But the truth is that many more elderly individuals are quite dependent on modern society for their needs. They may have extreme limitations brought on by maladies like diabetes or debilitating arthritis. They may depend on daily prescription medications to keep them relatively healthy. In our modern society they may get about and function with relative ease, but that shouldn’t bear on our assessment of how they will do when the lights go out permanently and we’re living like we did 150 years ago.

Realistically, there is only so much you can do to ensure the health and safety of the elderly during an extended period of catastrophe. But here are some things to think about and prepare for as best you can.

Bug In at the Older Member’s Home

It may make sense to make your bug out location at the elderly person’s home. If they are supportive of the idea, consider stocking your supplies at their location so when SHTF occurs, they don’t have to travel to meet you. Instead, it would be easier (but still dangerous) for you to bug out to their location.

This is advantageous for several reasons. They will have the comfort of staying in familiar surroundings and have all of their medical needs, such as walkers and other appliances, already in place. Staying in familiar surroundings will help them cope with the fear and may subsequently lessen the resulting depression as they experience the outside world crumble apart. In addition, many elderly are either particular about the food they eat or have health restrictions on the types of food they must have. For these reasons it might be far easier and sensible to plan on weathering the storm at the elderly person’s home.

Secure Your Home

Regardless of where you plan to stay, you must ensure the security of everyone in your party. So instead of focusing energy and resources on a vague plan for bugging out, it would be better to focus your efforts on securing your home for SHTF. Human psychology being what it is, people will still be creatures of opportunity, even under harsh circumstances. If your home is hardened against break-ins, looters and those searching for resources will tend to opt for your less secure neighbor’s home. This is not to say that in time they won’t get around to your home, but by then you will have had adequate time to assess your situation and devise concrete plans for your extended survival.

Lukas Nicholson hails from a family of preppers hardened by numerous Florida hurricanes. He found an outlet for his skills in the security industry, where he has spent the past seven years. He is now interested in sharing his knowledge online, where he writes in association with Topconsumerreviews.com.