A plan for parents who live alone.

1. 1

   Call it something else

   
   • Not prepping. A just-in-case bag, like for a hospital stay
   • Tie it to something they already worry about, like the power
   • Do it with them, not to them
2. 2

   A bag they can actually move

   
   • A small rolling suitcase, not a backpack
   • Under fifteen pounds packed
   • Lives by the door they use
3. 3

   Medications, two weeks, written large

   
   • Pharmacy can fill a backup supply; ask
   • A big-print list: name, dose, when, prescriber
   • A photo of each label on your phone too
4. 4

   Light they can find

   
   • A lantern on the nightstand, a flashlight by the chair
   • Plug-in night lights with a battery backup in the hall
   • Nothing that needs a smartphone to turn on
5. 5

   Water and food they can lift

   
   • Small bottles, not a jug, a case in the closet
   • Crackers, nut butter, fruit cups, shelf milk
   • You ship it; they just open the box
6. 6

   The neighbor with a key

   
   • One person on the street who checks after any event
   • Your number in their phone, theirs in yours
   • A thank-you gift card now and then keeps it warm
7. 7

   Alerts that reach them

   
   • County alerts on their phone and on yours
   • Utility outage and shutoff texts on both
   • A battery radio for when the towers go
8. 8

   Medical Baseline and the device list

   
   • If anything plugs in to keep them well, enroll them
   • Extra notice before a shutoff, and a lower bill
   • The device list taped inside a cabinet
9. 9

   Heat and cold plan

   
   • Older adults are most of the heat deaths; a plan is not optional
   • Where the cooling center is, and who drives
   • Blackout curtains and a battery fan shipped in May
10. 10

    Papers in two places

    
    • Copies of ID, insurance, medication list in the bag
    • A set with you, and a scan in a cloud folder
    • The insurance claims number on the fridge
11. 11

    Where they go, decided now

    
    • A friend nearby, then you, then the county shelter
    • Who drives if they cannot
    • Written on the fridge in big print
12. 12

    The daily call

    
    • Same time every day, two minutes
    • A missed call means the neighbor knocks
    • This is the habit that catches everything else

Light bag, big print, one neighbor, one call a day. That is the whole plan.