The Elderly And Post Hurricane Living Condition

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Lake Arthur Place Nursing Home in Port Arthur, TX

When we talk about elderly, what do we know about them? They are like an invisible part vulnerable citizens that we sometimes forget. Of course, there are more and more organizations and groups that are helping them and make sure they are being noticed. However, it is still hard for elderly to get by with their lives. The thing I find the most concerned about the elderly is their living conditions after a disaster happens.
Remember the Hurricane Harvey that happened last year in Houston, Texas? It caused a lot damages to the city and affected hundreds of lives, especially the elderly. For people who stayed in any nursing homes or assisted-living facilities, they didn't have the abilities to go anywhere after the hurricane passed by. They could be evacuated to a safe place while waiting for Harvey to be over with, but where did they go after it was all over? The answer was that they went back to their nursing homes or any facilities that they were staying at before the hurricane because they had nowhere else to live. They had to live with dirty, flooded and broken facilities while waiting for help from government. One example was the La Vita Bella nursing home in Texas where elderly were trapped in flooded water from the hurricane which made it so hard for them to move around - see below photo.They had limited to no access to clean food, water, clothes and other supplies because they had to wait for their turn which was always at the very last. It was sad because they deserved a good life when they get old, and not to worry about how to get through their last few years of life. 

La Vita Bella Nursing Home in Dickinson, TX

With this being said, everyone should join in and help build a better communities for the elderly, especially creating an efficient way to help aging people prepare and overcome disaster like providing more food, water and other necessary supplies and have a budget handy for other circumstances. You can help by joining local support group like Meals on Wheels, Food Banks or other charities and volunteer groups to help make senior citizens' lives better!

Meals on Wheels: https://www.mealsonwheelspeople.org/

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