There are many benefits of living in California, from the beautiful national parks to a diverse population and cultures, from a wide variety of outdoor activities to economic opportunities, from farm-to-fork culinary innovation to educational options. There are also drawbacks to living in California, including natural disasters.
California is prone to wildfires, floods, extreme heat, extreme cold, earthquakes, landslides and more. The risks may be different depending on where you live, but there are risks in every California community. Research shows that older adults are not only less prepared for weather and climate events but experience greater impacts from potentially dangerous situations because older adults are more likely to have a disability that limits their mobility, experience cognition challenges, and live with chronic conditions.
Fortunately, another benefit of living in California is the multitude of resources available to older adults. California’s network of 33 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), along with community partners and emergency services managers, are developing and revising disaster preparation and response plans to help communities prepare to help all Californians in the event of a disaster.
Have you asked your older loved ones if they have a disaster plan?
Individuals can prepare themselves, their families, and their homes to be ready if disaster strikes. Listos California, a program of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, endorses a five-point approach to readiness and offers resources in multiple languages.
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CARING FOR
ALZHEIMER'S
WITH LOVE
A Letter to My Father...
California Volunteers manages programs and initiatives aimed at increasing the number of Californians engaged in service and volunteering. There are many opportunities for older adults to volunteer, ranging from packing food at a food bank to online tutoring for elementary school students. Learn more by calling
1-888-567-SERV (7378).
NEW STORY!
Caring for Alzheimer's with Love
A Letter to My Father
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1. Sign up for emergency alerts: Visit CalAlerts.org to sign up for alerts in your area. Consider signing up for alerts in an older loved one’s area too.
That's how Georgina Zuniga has lived since 2020, when her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
"We saw it coming, and we tried to prepare ourselves mentally, but never enough," says Georgina. They had already noticed her father forgetting things and repeating the same stories.
"We told ourselves to be patient and try to support him as much as we can," she affirms.
Her father is Edgard Hugo Zuniga, 87 years old, an air force pilot in his native Nicaragua. Due to security concerns, he brought his family to the United States, and they have since resided in Los Angeles.
Edgard was always a hardworking man who was loving to his two children. Georgina says he did everything possible to spend time with them. That's why it's extremely difficult now to see him sometimes absent, sitting in his wheelchair and refusing to eat. But even though caring for him between her and her mother is challenging, she wouldn't change it for anything.
"We have the satisfaction that he is here with us, not abandoned in a nursing home where the family wouldn’t visit him," adds Georgina, who stopped working to focus on her father's health full-time.
2. Make a disaster-ready plan: Create a list of contact information you may need; decide where to meet if you’re separated from loved ones; practice your plan.
3. Pack a go bag: To grab when you need to leave quickly, including important documents and items for each family member, keys, wallet, identification, phone and charger, and medication.
4. Pack a stay box: Include basic supplies for when you can’t leave home, such as food that won’t spoil, water, a flashlight, trash bags, and medication – enough for three days.
5. Help friends and neighbors: Exchange contact information with your neighbors and plan how you might work together in an emergency.
• Water
• Non-perishable food
• Medication, especially prescriptions
• list of prescriptions
• Eyeglasses
• Copies of important documents
• List of important phone numbers
• Cash
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• FIRST AID KIT
• WHISTLE, TO SIGNAL FOR HELP
• MOIST TOWELETTES, GARBAGE BAGS, AND PLASTIC
TIES FOR PERSONAL SANITATION
• PERSONAL HYGIENE ITEMS
• MANUAL CAN OPENER
• CELL PHONE CHARGER
• BACKUP BATTERY
What should older adults put in a
go bag?
Trusted connections with family, friends, caregivers, and healthcare providers are crucial to ensure older adults’ and adults with disabilities’ needs are met during emergencies. Important considerations include:
The California Commission on Aging serves as the principal advocacy body for older Californians and as a catalyst for change that supports and celebrates Californians as they age.
The earthquake that shook
One day at a time. . .
5 Readiness Actions
5 Readiness Actions
Other items for a go bag might include pet food, hand sanitizer, cash, important documents, clothing, and a blanket. Keep emergency kits handy in case you need to leave quickly.
As fire season approaches, older adults should also consider developing a Wildfire Action Plan and reviewing safety tips from CAL FIRE.
Listos California also offers a Disaster Recovery Resources Guide in English and Spanish that includes information about housing assistance, replacing vital documents, help replacing prescriptions, accessing food, and more. You can access a variety of safety and disaster preparedness flyers on topics from safety in severe storms to a Disaster Ready Card in 14 languages.
You can also visit Ready.gov, which includes information to help older adults prepare for disasters, including tips on low-and no-cost preparedness actions.
Like Georgina, just over 4.5 million people are caring for a loved one in California and dedicating almost 18 hours of care per week, representing an economic value of $81 billion annually. 65% of older adults who require personal care receive it from family and friends, according to the California Department of Aging.
More than 6.7 million people live with Alzheimer's in the United States. Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's can be challenging, and people who perform this noble work need support and, above all, need to be heard. Studies suggest that one in four people caring for older adults experience depression.
In November, during National Family Caregivers Month, the California Department of Aging recognizes the extraordinary work of family members who care for older people and people with Alzheimer's and offers services through Caregiver Resource Centers and Area Agencies on Aging:
• Support related to stress and disease diagnosis
• Family consultations and care planning
• Respite care – break for caregivers
• Counseling
• Legal and financial advice
• Professional training in patient care
• Education about dementia and stress management, among other topics
• Emergency Preparedness Guide
• MyHazards
• CalAlerts
• Listos California
• Ready.gov
• Medicare: Care in an Emergency
Quick Links
living in California, from the beautiful national parks to a diverse population and cultures, from a wide variety of outdoor activities to economic opportunities, from farm-to-fork culinary innovation to educational options. There are also drawbacks to living in California, including natural disasters.
California is prone to wildfires, floods, extreme heat, extreme cold, earthquakes, landslides, and more. The risks may differ depending on where you live, you live, and you can learn what emergencies your area is prone to by visiting MyHazards, but there are risks in every California community. Older adults may face unique challenges in preparing for weather and climate events. By considering proactive planning, you empower yourself and those you love to navigate these challenges with resilience and preparedness.
Have you asked your older loved ones if they have a disaster plan?
California has a multitude of resources available to older adults. California’s network of 33 Area Agencies on Aging, along with community partners and emergency services managers, are developing and revising disaster preparation and response plans to help communities prepare to help all Californians in the event of a disaster.
Individuals can prepare themselves, their families, and their homes to be ready if disaster strikes. Listos California, a program of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, endorses a five-point approach to readiness and offers resources in multiple languages.
Do you and your loved ones have an emergency plan?
• Check medications. Some can make you sleepy or dizzy, putting you at risk for falling. Have your doctor review both prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
• Check vision. Have comprehensive annual eye exams and keep prescription eyeglasses up to date. Don’t wear bifocals while walking.
• Make your home safer. About half of all falls happen at home.
• Emergency Preparedness Guide
• MyHazards
• CalAlerts
• Listos California
• Ready.gov
• Medicare: Care in an Emergency
Quick links
Georgina has a message for others who, like her, care for a loved one.
"Try to maintain patience with the person; there are extremely difficult days, and you learn something new every day with people with Alzheimer's. Be positive because it's not their fault; it's the disease," says Georgina, who assures you that you must give them lots of affection because they can feel lonely. So she wrote this letter to her father:
Dear Daddy,
I'm very grateful that you went to that party you didn't want to go to and meet my mommy. My mommy knew how to choose well. They got married years later, two years after that, my brother was born; and two years after him, I gave them the surprise that I was going to be born.
From the moment I was going to be born, you risked your life to get the doctor under guerrilla gunfire in Nicaragua so I could be born at home. Since I was a girl and was born bald like you, you went under gunfire to buy me my first pair of earrings so people wouldn't think I was a boy.
Just as you risked your life for me, I would do the same for you. It means more to me than you can imagine. Sometimes, you think I don't love you because I scold you for the mischief you do or because you don't want to eat, but it's the opposite. I love you very much and would feel very sad and guilty if something happened to you because of those pranks or if you had to be hospitalized because you won't eat.
You are my "Super Daddy," the great aviator who never gives up. You have taught us not to give up when things get difficult. Don't give up. Remember that home run you hit at the Chicago White Sox stadium against the Dutch in the 1960s? You were smaller than them, but you showed them that strength has no size. You are my hero. I love you very much, Daddy.
Kisses and hugs,
Georgina Zuniga
• Offer to care for the older adult
• Run errands for the caregiver
• Prepare meals
• Listen if they need to talk
• Write a card or letter expressing your gratitude
For more information about available resources for caregivers, visit aging.ca.gov or explore additional support on Caring for the Caregivers, where you can find tools, training, and services to help caregivers navigate their role.
"We need someone who understands us and can help us have patience; the stress is overwhelming," indicates Georgina, who assures us that emotional support is very important to cope with the situation.
If you have a family member, friend, or neighbor who cares for an older adult, there are several ways to provide support:
A hug full of gratitude for people who care for an older adult and who, at some point, have thought that their dedication and sacrifice go unnoticed. You are the hero of someone who doesn't have the strength to care for themselves or whose mind has stayed frozen in the past... Thank you very much.
That's how Georgina Zuniga has lived since 2020, when her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
"We saw it coming, and we tried to prepare ourselves mentally, but never enough," says Georgina. They had already noticed her father forgetting things and repeating the same stories.
"We told ourselves to be patient and try to support him as much as we can," she affirms.
Her father is Edgard Hugo Zuniga, 87 years old, an air force pilot in his native Nicaragua. Due to security concerns, he brought his family to the United States, and they have since resided in Los Angeles.
Edgard was always a hardworking man who was loving to his two children. Georgina says he did everything possible to spend time with them. That's why it's extremely difficult now to see him sometimes absent, sitting in his wheelchair and refusing to eat. But even though caring for him between her and her mother is challenging, she wouldn't change it for anything.
"We have the satisfaction that he is here with us, not abandoned in a nursing home where the family wouldn’t visit him," adds Georgina, who stopped working to focus on her father's health full-time.
Like Georgina, just over 4.5 million people are caring for a loved one in California and dedicating almost 18 hours of care per week, representing an economic value of $81 billion annually. 65% of older adults who require personal care receive it from family and friends, according to the California Department of Aging.
More than 6.7 million people live with Alzheimer's in the United States. Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's can be challenging, and people who perform this noble work need support and, above all, need to be heard. Studies suggest that one in four people caring for older adults experience depression. In November, during National Family Caregivers Month, the California Department of Aging recognizes the extraordinary work of family members who care for older people and people with Alzheimer's and offers services through Caregiver Resource Centers and Area Agencies on Aging:
Georgina has a message for others who, like her, care for a loved one.
"Try to maintain patience with the person; there are extremely difficult days, and you learn something new every day with people with Alzheimer's. Be positive because it's not their fault; it's the disease," says Georgina, who assures you that you must give them lots of affection because they can feel lonely. So she wrote this letter to her father:
Dear Daddy,
I'm very grateful that you went to that party you didn't want to go to and meet my mommy. My mommy knew how to choose well. They got married years later, two years after that, my brother was born; and two years after him, I gave them the surprise that I was going to be born.
From the moment I was going to be born, you risked your life to get the doctor under guerrilla gunfire in Nicaragua so I could be born at home. Since I was a girl and was born bald like you, you went under gunfire to buy me my first pair of earrings so people wouldn't think I was a boy.
Just as you risked your life for me, I would do the same for you. It means more to me than you can imagine. Sometimes, you think I don't love you because I scold you for the mischief you do or because you don't want to eat, but it's the opposite. I love you very much and would feel very sad and guilty if something happened to you because of those pranks or if you had to be hospitalized because you won't eat.
You are my "Super Daddy," the great aviator who never gives up. You have taught us not to give up when things get difficult. Don't give up. Remember that home run you hit at the Chicago White Sox stadium against the Dutch in the 1960s? You were smaller than them, but you showed them that strength has no size. You are my hero. I love you very much, Daddy.
Kisses and hugs,
Georgina Zuniga
A hug full of gratitude for people who care for an older adult and who, at some point, have thought that their dedication and sacrifice go unnoticed. You are the hero of someone who doesn't have the strength to care for themselves or whose mind has stayed frozen in the past... Thank you very much.