Go Bag, not a Bug Out Bag

[Botaskinner]

Great suggestions, Forgeblast. Also make sure you can get a copy of (or help him/her create) an advance medical directive in case things start going sideways.

 

[MossRoad]

In 1994 we had to call an ambulance for my grandma. The ambulance guy started asking her questions. He asked what year she was born. She said 96. He says to her "I asked what year you were born, not your age." and looks at my sister and laughs.

Grandma grabs his arm and shouts at him EIGHTEEN! EIGHTEEN NINETY SIX! I WAS BORN IN EIGHTEEN NINETY SIX! I'M 98 YEARS OLD! YOY!!! And rolls her eyes at him.

We could see the guy trying to do the math in his head. :laughing:

 

[bunyip]

After dealing with my father in law and his lack of knowledge about his dr and meds. I would have
1. a print out of every med they are on the dosage.
2. all their doctors names and numbers.
I felt so bad for the nurse who was trying to get his information. He was giving them his PA's name not his DR's name, knew some of his meds started with an A....it was brutal.

We are getting a government database that will have everyones medical history, medication etc available to any registered provider, it will be interesting to see how it goes but I do like the idea.
You can opt out but I can only see advantages providing they get my ID right.

 

[Jstpssng]

I keep a change of clothes and toothbrush in each truck as a force of habit; (also 2 gallons of water, but that's for different emergencies.) Anything for more than a day I can buy if necessary. When my father's Alzheimer's got bad it was the exact opposite of what you describe; it was much easier to just make day visits. I would leave at around 5:30 AM and get back home around 9:30 that night after spending about 8 hours driving and a few hours visiting.

 

[forgeblast]

Great suggestions, Forgeblast. Also make sure you can get a copy of (or help him/her create) an advance medical directive in case things start going sideways.

My inlaws are the type that believe if you plan for it, it will happen.....no will ,no advance medical directive ,etc. I filled everything out for them with an online program. Printed it, all they had to do was go to a notary. NOPE. never got done. I hear all the time I want to leave this to her or him, I said your leaving it to the state since you don't have a will...frustrating.

 

[Garandman]

Things like copies of prescriptions, health care proxies and the like are usually on the list. My MIL has her DNR form taped to her fridge.

FWIW, FEMA has a lot of useful checklists, some only peripherally related to the OP's needs.

Preparedness Checklists & Toolkits | FEMA.gov

Are You Ready? An In-Depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness | FEMA.gov

 

[Garandman]

I keep a change of clothes and toothbrush in each truck as a force of habit; (also 2 gallons of water, but that's for different emergencies.) Anything for more than a day I can buy if necessary. //

What do you use for water containers? We just have several partially-full plastic bottles as it freezes solid.

 

[MossRoad]

I hear a lot of people saying that if you die with no will, the state will get it.

I don't think that's true in just about all states, IF there are some family still alive.

I think a lot of people get the word "intestate" confused with the word "state", and have passed that mistaken myth on to their children and acquaintances.

If you die without a will, it means you have died “intestate.” When this happens, the intestacy laws of the state where you reside will determine how your property is distributed upon your death.

Look up your state here (I'm not a lawyer, but I did sleep in a comfy bed last night).

Intestate Succession | Nolo.com

 

[Garandman]

When my mother died, we couldn’t find her will. My brother was the Executor and he’d had a stroke. His wife eventually found it.

You need a will and death certificate to shut off the darned phone! And it goes uphill from there.

 

[newbury]

I've been "on the road again" for about a quarter of my life since college in '74. There was a slight decline when I got to my posting at Ft. Belvoir, Va in '75 but by '76 I was usually travelling at least a full week each month, plus a month of annual vacation. From the leveling of the Towers until I retired in 2011 that was upped to often 3 weeks a month on the road.
Then my wife and I retired. And found ourselves "retiring to Mississippi" (where her mother lives) from Ft. Belvoir area at the rate of a few months here, a few months there and a 14 hour "commute".
So we generally have each of our bags pretty much packed ALL the time. Swap out the wool socks, swap in the shorts type thing. Then there are two laptop bags (one contains a Mobley), our individual "meds bag", an "important papers" bag, a food bag/box and we are ready to go.

So the couple of times we've had a nearby "emergency" it's been an easy grab of a couple of bags and we, or one of us, is on the road again.
For example - This last summer my MIL had a fall, SWMBO grabbed clothes bag, purse, her meds bag, laptop bag and was gone in 15 minutes.