I Wrote a Book About Senior Preparedness. Interested?

Now is almost certainly the wrong time to let folks know about a new book given the upcoming holiday, but I’m rarely one to do things the “smart” way when it comes to publishing. Besides, it might be a good read for the coming break. 🙂

For what it’s worth, I’ve been working on this book here and there ever since my hiatus back in April. And now I’m finally ready to ask you if you’d be interested in reading a copy.

Ultimately, I settled on three specific questions that each chapter, and the specific advice within, must address:

1. Can an older adult with limited mobility do this?
2. Can it be done on a limited income?
3. Can my recommendations be understood without special training or unique knowledge?

With that in mind, the book covers:

• The Reality of Senior Preparedness: vulnerabilities as we age, decision paralysis, bedside pre-staging, smartphones, etc.
• Fire and Home Safety: egress, lighting, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide, fire extinguishers, etc.
• Medical Preparedness: medications, other supplies buffers, refrigeration, “file of life”
• Force Multipliers: first responder pact, evacuation, prepping as a couple, opsec, etc.
• Water and Food Security: small-format storage solutions, filtration and treatment, mechanical advantages in the kitchen, etc.
• Off-Grid Power and Lighting: portable power solutions (with examples), battery capacity, large-area illumination, pathway lighting, etc.
• Sanitation and Hygiene: toilet solutions, other waste products (e.g., kitchen), handwashing, personal hygiene, laundry, etc.
• Temperature Regulation: cooling, heating without air conditioning
• Evacuation Planning: rolling bug out bag, module systems, evacuation plans, alternative transportation
• Pet Preparedness: pet “go bag,” animal management, service animals
• Concerns Not Yet Covered: daily living aids, home defense, etc.
• Financial Resourcefulness: insurance, thrift stores, online options, local solutions

Two Concerns

1. The chapter about “off grid power and lighting” disucsses solar generators, which I unfortunately can’t get away from, especially because powering medical equipment is so important for older adults. If you have a better idea or a way to save money on this topic without getting into DIY setups, I’d like to hear them because this chapter gets away from “limited income” requirement more than I’d like.
2. The chapters about “concerns not yet covered” is basically a hodgepodge of topics that didn’t quite warrant their own chapters. But I’m unsure whether buckets, one of my favorite prepping items, should even be included at all. I’m also unsure whether the section on home defense is too much for most seniors or if I’m missing something simple.

Final Thoughts

I’m looking for honest feedback. Is there something I said wrong? Something I missed? Something that needs added or removed? Remember that this book is for older folks, so any suggestions need to consider their capabilities.

And I’ll eventually be requesting book reviews, too, once the book has been published. I expect to do so sometime after the 4th of July.

Last, unless there’s an egregious error, I don’t need help with grammar, spelling or formatting since I’ll check that before publishing but it should be pretty good right now.

If this sounds interesting to you or a loved one, just email me within the next week or so, say by July 5th and I’ll happily send you a PDF copy via email.

Hope it helps!