Quick answer: Start with the person’s daily needs and choices, then agree who will help if power, transport or normal care is interrupted. A useful plan identifies actual assistance and a backup; a box of supplies alone cannot provide either.
Build the plan with the person
The Red Cross recommends assessing medical, physical and cognitive needs and building a support network. Ask what the person can do independently, what assistance they want and what changes when normal services stop. Age alone does not establish the same needs for everyone.
| Daily task | What to record |
|---|---|
| Receive instructions | An alert and contact method the person can perceive and use |
| Move or leave | Accessible route, assistance and transport |
| Maintain care | Approved medication, equipment and provider arrangements |
| Stay comfortable and safe | Temperature checks and an appropriate alternative location |
| Get help | Named primary and backup contacts |
Agree on a check-in that confirms contact
Write when and how the support person checks in, what to do if there is no response and who takes over if unavailable. Agree on access arrangements where appropriate, with the person’s consent. Do not assume that a neighbor can enter, provide care or transport someone without a prior arrangement.
Keep a readable paper contact card and a copy with the agreed helper. Use the communication plan to cover phone failure and an out-of-area contact.
Verify assistance through the real route
In ordinary safe conditions, review the path to the intended refuge or exit. Check doors, stairs, lifts, walking aids and transport access. If a route cannot be used without a lift, resolve the building-specific assistance plan before relying on it.
Ask local emergency management about available assistance arrangements or registries. Registration can be useful information, but do not treat it as a promise of immediate pickup or uninterrupted electricity. Use the apartment plan for shared building systems.
Keep essential care instructions accessible
Use the actual provider-approved backup for electric devices and medication storage. Keep the current medication list, relevant records and contacts available to the appropriate helper. FDA recommends keeping prescription information and discussing an emergency supply with the pharmacist or provider.
Use the care checklist rather than guessing a generic refill or battery duration. Include assistive items the person actually uses and knows how to operate.
Review changing needs and destinations
Recheck the plan after a move, care change or change in helpers. Confirm that a proposed shelter or relative’s home can meet access and care needs. Plan heat response and winter response before conditions become urgent. Keep supplies identified in the home inventory, but record assistance gaps alongside equipment gaps.