Hurricane Irene hurled her way upward through the north-eastern seaboard of the the US over the past several days. We held our breathe and hoped our friends and loved ones were safe, yet Irene took lives and left a devastating trail of ruin and debris. Many of us have parents who cannot adequately care for themselves and need extra special attention during intense times such as these. Thanks to Caring.com for sharing these important tips with me on how to protect our senior family members and friends during the storm. I wanted to pass them along to you and hope you share them as well. Thank you and be safe.

- Don’t watch the news incessantly or in front of the person you’re caring for – it can make your elder (and children) nervous/anxious. Quietly gather supplies and don’t wait too long. It’s best to give yourself plenty of time and not to rush. Know where you’re going-shelter, hotel, other family member’s house-and let others know your A, B, and C plans

- Keep their medications in grab and go containers for quick evacuation. If your parent has a certain condition and you fear you may be separated, write on their arm/leg with a sharpie when meds need to be taken, what condition they have, etc

- Make sure that you have a copy of all insurance/medical information -as well as house insurance since many times you can’t get back into the house to get policies

- Have a back-up person (neighbor, close friend who lives nearby) who knows it’s their job to check on and if need be, evacuate your loved one.This is particularly important if you’re a long-distance caregiver, or if you work full-time.

- If you do need to evacuate write with a lipstick or sharpie marker on your front door who is with you and where you’ve gone-it’s awful to panic and worry that your loved ones can’t be found

- Be specific. When things get hectic people feel uncertain. Give specific directions (“Get mom and go to X shelter,” or “Mom, get your purse and your cane. We are going to X). Sound calm but authoritative so that people feel safe and know exactly what they need to do.

Photo credit: kconnors

Even if your mom is now a senior citizen, you don’t necessarily have to buy slippers and bathrobes for her. A person’s age is determined by how he/ she feels about themselves and not by years or looks. These days the seniors are getting out of the old norms and are redefining their golden years by filling up their retirement with activities and travel. If your mom is not physically fit to travel or enjoy the outdoor activities, may be you can gift her something that can help to better her quality of life.

Mother’s day is all about celebrating the spirit of womanhood and giving gifts to a senior mom doesn’t necessarily imply that it has to be a stereo type old one. If you are mom is growing old, then you need to give her something that makes her feel special and cared for. Here are some suggestions to delight the senior mothers.

Most of the senior mothers are very nostalgic about the old Hollywood classics. The age from Cary Grant to that of Greta Garbo, the men were well-groomed and the women were sensational. To a senior citizen, the movies of today aren’t just the same. On this Mother’s Day, gift your senior mother something that gives her delightful instant access to thousands of old movies. You can Gift her subscriptions to Netflix, which is quite easy to register for. You can train your mother how she can herself search for her favorite movies and add them to her favorites queue. If your senior mother doesn’t have the access to Internet then you can make a list of all those classics that she’d like to watch and queue them for her.

This won’t take a lot of your time, and your dear mother will love you for having movies come right at her door. She won’t have to anymore drive to the video store in bad weather, or stand in the long lines the next time she wishes to take a trip down the memory lane.