Senior Emergency Kits

What should an emergency kit for a senior include?

Older adults can have preparedness needs that a standard emergency kit doesn't address, especially medications, mobility, medical equipment, hearing or vision needs, and backup power.
That's why this collection puts extra emphasis on accessible lighting, warmth, first aid, communication, and supplies that can stay within easy reach at home.
The focus is less on moving fast and more on having the right supplies accessible when they're needed.

Which senior survival kit fits?

- Senior Ready Bundle. Pairs the 2-person Guardian Go Bag with the StayLit Premium, bringing together 72-hour emergency supplies with additional lighting and communication for power outages. It also includes the Senior Emergency Planning Guide, a fillable document for medications, medical contacts, equipment, and the people who may be part of your support network.
- Family + Senior Bundle. Pairs a 4-person Guardian Go Bag with a 2-person Guardian Go Bag for two households that share an emergency plan. One can stay with you and one with a parent or other family member. The supplies aren't specifically made for seniors; the value is having compatible kits at both households along with senior-focused planning guidance.
- StayLit Power Outage Kit. A compact option focused on lighting and communication during an outage. Different versions offer different levels of coverage, including options with a weather radio.
- RapidShield 72-Hour Kit. A ready-to-grab 72-hour option with emergency food, starter water, first aid, lighting, shelter supplies, and additional emergency essentials.
- The Guardian 72-Hour Kit. A fuller 72-hour option with emergency food, starter water, first aid, lighting, communication, shelter and warmth supplies, and water-treatment capability.
- SideBySide 72-Hour Kit. Three days of food, a starter supply of water with treatment tablets, light, a radio, first aid, and warmth in one backpack, in a 2-person or 4-person size. The 2-person kit weighs about 14 pounds, so a main-floor closet beats a high shelf.
- The WheelDeal 72-Hour Kit. A 1-person 72-hour kit in a rolling bag, with food, starter water and treatment tablets, a hand-rechargeable flashlight, a radio, first aid, and warmth. Pull it instead of lifting it. Your lower back gets the best part of the deal.

For one person or a couple, a 2-person kit can provide additional supplies, but also consider the total weight and what the person can comfortably move.

Where should a senior keep their emergency kit?

Keep emergency supplies somewhere easy to reach without navigating stairs, moving heavy objects, or searching through storage.

A main-floor closet, bedroom, or other familiar location may work well depending on the home. The important thing is that the person using the kit can access it easily and that other people who may help them know where it is.

If you're buying this for yourself

You've likely been through more outages and storms than anyone writing about them. You know what to do.
The kit isn't instruction. It's the gathering.
If you live alone, consider both the amount of coverage you want and what you can comfortably move. A larger kit provides additional supplies, but accessibility matters just as much as quantity.
Consider telling a trusted family member, friend, or neighbor where your emergency supplies are kept, particularly if that person might be part of your support plan during an emergency.

What to add yourself

- Prescription medications and a refill plan.
- A printed medication list, including doses, allergies, doctors, and important medical contacts.
- Spare glasses, hearing aid supplies, and other vision or hearing necessities.
- Backup power or a backup plan for essential medical equipment.
- Copies of important identification, insurance information, and emergency contacts, protected from water.
- A plan for medications that require refrigeration if the power goes out.
- Contact information for nearby people who may be able to help.
- Mobility or accessibility supplies specific to the person using the kit.

Our Senior Emergency Preparedness Checklist walks through these considerations in more detail. The Senior Emergency Planning Guide, available with our senior bundles, provides a place to record medications, medical contacts, equipment, and other information specific to the person you're preparing for.

If you're setting this up for a parent

They may already have many of these supplies around the house.
The kit is the part that often doesn't get done: the rounding-up, the one place.
Set it somewhere easy for them to reach, go through it together, and make sure both of you know what's included and what still needs to be added.

Our Giving an Emergency Kit as a Gift guide has more ideas for giving preparedness supplies in a way that feels useful rather than impersonal.