Seniors

Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone right away. Take responsibility; save your life! Keep in touch with your neighbors and look out for each other.

• Set up a Personal Support network - Designate someone to check on you in an emergency and to help with evacuation or sheltering-in-place.
• Make sure that someone in your local network has an extra key to your home and knows where you keep your emergency supplies.
• Personal Care Assistance - If you receive assistance from a home health care agency or in-home support provider, find out how the provider will respond in an emergency. Designate backup or alternative providers that you can contact in an emergency.
• Teach those who may need to assist you in an emergency how to operate necessary equipment.
• Wear medical alert tags or bracelets to help identify any medical condition or disability.
• Consider getting a medical alert system that will allow you to call for help if you are immobilized in an emergency.
• Keep in mind a disaster can disrupt mail service for days or even weeks. Consider direct deposit by calling the Go Direct toll-free helpline at 800-333-1795 or signing up at Go Direct. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Banks, this option will ensure you get your social security or SSI payment on time each month.
• For Persons using a wheelchair, plan for how you will evacuate in an emergency and discuss it with your care providers. If you use a motorized wheelchair, have a manual wheelchair as a backup.
• For Persons who are Hearing Impaired, keep extra batteries for your hearing aids with emergency supplies. Consider storing your hearing aids in a container attached to your nightstand or bedpost, so you can locate them quickly after a disaster.
• The Senior Alert Program is a system that provides automatic, daily checkup calls for Milpitas home-bound and senior residents. The system monitors whether a call is successfully received and if a problem occurs, help will be immediately summoned. The only equipment anyone interested in participating would need is a touch-tone phone. The Senior Alert Program is a free service provided to the Seniors and home-bound of our community. For more information concerning the program and how you can participate, contact the Community Relations sergeant by calling 408-586-2527.
• Don't forget to include any medications you need to take in your go-bag. Keep a list of the medications you take, the dosage, frequency, and any other information that might be needed.
• If you take medications or have special needs pick up a Vial of Life kit from any fire station. Vial of Life participants complete a Medical Information Form, which is then put into a small medical vial. A "Vial of Life" label is attached to the vial which is then place on the top shelf of the participant's refrigerator. A second "Vial of Life" label is placed on the upper outside of the refrigerator in plain view. The sticker notifies emergency responders that you have the Vial-of-Life so they can utilize its information and be informed about your special needs.
• Consider other personal needs such as eyeglasses, hearing aids and hearing aid batteries, wheelchair batteries, and oxygen.