How will elderly survive

[msdixi]

I have read numerous books on prepping for EMP and I agree with them but.. as a single female senior citizen on a low fixed income and living in a good sized town, I don't think I will survive it. It takes alot of money to buy up all the supplies and even if I got well stocked, I could never protect any of it. Please don't say 'bug out house'. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a farm, cabin out in the country and an old car to drive there (if they could even survive the trip).
I have no family as all my adult children live on the opposite side of USA. I don't know if they are concerned about an EMP but they are not concerned about my surviving it. I do not know my neighbors since moving here 6 mo. ago.. they don't seem interested. My location is such that there would be a quick influx of looters.

All I feel I can do is try to get ahead on water and canned goods and then know I will die soon after it hits.

 

[DrHenley]

Msdixi, welcome to the board and a big HOWDY from Georgia!

Prepping is a state of mind more than acquiring stuff. My parents generation grew up in the Great Depression where there wasn't any money to buy things. They made do. They learned to grow food and preserve it. And many of them kept those habits the rest of their lives.

There are things you can do to improve your chances of survival. If you can provide goods or services that EVERYONE needs, you might find a niche in a post apocalyptic world by providing it.

So for example, here is a hypothetical scenario:
EVERYONE will need water. Clean water will be at a premium, almost worth its weight in gold.
If you have water filters and can produce good clean water, you can possibly use that to a great advantage. Just don't let anyone know where you get the clean water! If someone wants to steal the water you have on hand, give it to them! Then produce more.

 

[msdixi]

Msdixi, welcome to the board and a big HOWDY from Georgia!

Prepping is a state of mind more than acquiring stuff. My parents generation grew up in the Great Depression where there wasn't any money to buy things. They made do. They learned to grow food and preserve it. And many of them kept those habits the rest of their lives.

There are things you can do to improve your chances of survival. If you can provide goods or services that EVERYONE needs, you might find a niche in a post apocalyptic world by providing it.

So for example, here is a hypothetical scenario:
EVERYONE will need water. Clean water will be at a premium, almost worth its weight in gold.
If you have water filters and can produce good clean water, you can possibly use that to a great advantage. Just don't let anyone know where you get the clean water! If someone wants to steal the water you have on hand, give it to them! Then produce more.

Forgot to mention, there is no water supply near me. There are no rivers , streams etc. and I would not be able to walk there and back even if there were. And as I explained there are no 'people'. I live alone with a disabled adult child.

 

[jimLE]

do you have the needed canning supplies for home canning? it looks to me.that a person can save money in the long run,by canning their own food..
wal-mart has 1 gallon jugs of water.unless they've gone up.they can be bought for 68 cents a gallon..
do you or the disabled adult child take meds?.if so.then stock up on extra meds if/when possible..

 

[msdixi]

do you have the needed canning supplies for home canning? it looks to me.that a person can save money in the long run,by canning their own food..
wal-mart has 1 gallon jugs of water.unless they've gone up.they can be bought for 68 cents a gallon..
do you or the disabled adult child take meds?.if so.then stock up on extra meds if/when possible..

We cannot stock up on meds because insurance will only pay for them once a month. Even if I had a full house stocked with supplies, as I mentioned, I could not protect any of it.
I believe that after an EMP there will be no 'polite society' but starving people stealing others food

 

[Mountain trapper]

You can pick up an extra can of food and bottle of water here and there. Store as much as you can in a closet or under the beds and keep a low profile. Its too bad that you have some ungrateful kids who won't move you out to be near then. Good luck.

 

[user 6493]

unless you have family or friends it is a grim outlook for older people,I have no life saving advice to offer,,,maybe if you are able you should consider relocating closer to your children,,,

 

[Brent S]

I think knowing your abilities and limits is a good thing. I think grey ghost has a point about possibly teaming up with family or others. Different people have unique talents, and when combined make all better off.

 

[Maverick]

Can goods from vegetable to spam will last a couple of years past the expiration/use by date in some cases 5-10yrs past, spam will last a year past it's date, you can slowly stock up on canned goods and put on rotation. Sugar/salt never expires, honey will last indefinitely (might have to heat up if too old) pasta (if stored correctly) will easily last 3yrs past best by date.

Wrong or right
Not knowing your circumstances nor age (not my business) if you are on limited income you may be eligible for supplemental food assistant and also help from the local food bank, I'm not saying take advantage of it in the wrong way but only to use the supplements to make from scratch food preparations, most food banks will give bulk flower, sugar, salt, cereals, rice etc... in one pound or more bags, items given also include can products and bread products and some cases canned salmon. You can also use 3 and 5 gal air tight containers to store your tap water, many bulk food stores sell empty 5gal blue water bottles or full ones, locally I can pick up a case of 32 12oz bottled water for $3.99 as an example, also don't forget about the water heater, in most places you can get 30 to 60gal of water from the tank in an emergency (boil first or get a water filter, generally runs $20)

Meds are going to be a tuffy given prescribed meds are micromanaged from the powers that be unfortunately, the internet is full of alternative meds from herbs to OTC that may soften the blow of prescribed meds no longer available in a SHTF situation but that's an area that needs a lot of research, a lot of information can be freely downloaded in PDF format. I do concur on teaming up with others given your situation. I don't know your background on what knowledge you have acquired over your life and that may will be a God-Send such as cooking from scratch to gardening to foraging etc... Don't forget to get a local map and mark evac routs and local resources such as grocery stores, pharmacies, convenient stores, gas stations, outdoor stores etc...

It's never too late to learn alternative methods nor is it too late to start prepping so don't be discouraged! The mind is your best friend. I do wish you the best.

 

[jontte]

http://meddaily.net/similar-to-morphine-the-best-natural-painkiller-that-grows-in-your-backyard/

found something that could be useful,when thinking about those meds,more so in the painkiller section.

 

[DrHenley]

Lactuca virosa

Lacturca means "Milk juice"
virosa means "poisonous"

A case study of 8 patients admitted to the hospital with wild lettuce poisoning:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3031874/

 

[Brent S]

Lactuca virosa

Lacturca means "Milk juice"
virosa means "poisonous"

A case study of 8 patients admitted to the hospital with wild lettuce poisoning:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3031874/

I know it's not foolproof, but I've read as a general rule that if a plants juice is milky white, don't eat it. I've also read that if the small mammals and birds eat it is is usually safe for you as well. REMEMBER, these are guides only, there are exceptions. Learning your area and its edibles is surely worth the effort.

 

[Maverick]

I know it's not foolproof, but I've read as a general rule that if a plants juice is milky white, don't eat it. I've also read that if the small mammals and birds eat it is is usually safe for you as well. REMEMBER, these are guides only, there are exceptions. Learning your area and its edibles is surely worth the effort.

That's generally true for low laying vegetation but there are plants and trees that doesn't apply like coconuts and some cactuses, we have a couple of plants that have milky juices in the limbs we make tea out of. Very true on learning one's area, we have a berry here that's edible but in Colorado the same berry is poisonous and the only way to know the difference is measure the leaf, they look smell and taste the same but one will make you sick, that's why it's imperative to get foraging books for a specific area and not a generalization.

 

[toexist]

I have read numerous books on prepping for EMP and I agree with them but.. as a single female senior citizen on a low fixed income and living in a good sized town, I don't think I will survive it. It takes alot of money to buy up all the supplies and even if I got well stocked, I could never protect any of it. Please don't say 'bug out house'. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a farm, cabin out in the country and an old car to drive there (if they could even survive the trip).
I have no family as all my adult children live on the opposite side of USA. I don't know if they are concerned about an EMP but they are not concerned about my surviving it. I do not know my neighbors since moving here 6 mo. ago.. they don't seem interested. My location is such that there would be a quick influx of looters.

All I feel I can do is try to get ahead on water and canned goods and then know I will die soon after it hits.

I'm sorry you feel this way. All you can do is the best you can with what you got. Don't worry about that which is out of your control. I would try my best to make friends form alliances with those around you. In the unlikely event of EMP I'd like to think that there are some decent people around you whom would lend you helping hand.

 

[SheilaT.]

If you want neighbours you can rely on, it's up to you to make the first move. You are the interloper here and to all of them, an unknown quantity. I had the same thing, I moved into this area just nine months ago, but I have made a point of saying hello, offering to help and generally being a good egg. I now know several folk I can turn to in a crisis, and just as important, who to keep an eye on, then there's the one or two enemy of my enemy is my friend types. I'm also getting to know the dynamics of who knows who.
If you are that way inclined, join the local church, I'm not, but I still offer my help when I can, same with the local school and nursery it all shows a willingness to get involved in the community.

 

[Brent S]

If you want neighbours you can rely on, it's up to you to make the first move. You are the interloper here and to all of them, an unknown quantity. I had the same thing, I moved into this area just nine months ago, but I have made a point of saying hello, offering to help and generally being a good egg. I now know several folk I can turn to in a crisis, and just as important, who to keep an eye on, then there's the one or two enemy of my enemy is my friend types. I'm also getting to know the dynamics of who knows who.
If you are that way inclined, join the local church, I'm not, but I still offer my help when I can, same with the local school and nursery it all shows a willingness to get involved in the community.

It is true, if you are a friend first, it usually brings out the same in others. Sure, some will let you down sometimes, but not everyone.