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A Room with a Number Walkers, Stairways and Power Outages by Nikki Willhite As of this writing, the Seattle area is still dealing with a snow and ice storm that left over a quarter of a million people without power over 250 miles.  Every time we lose power, we learn something new about emergency preparedness.  We learned a couple of new things this time.  One of the things we learned was how to judiciously use an indoor propane heater; commonly referred to as a Buddy Heater.  You need to use it in a small room where you can turn it on low so the propane (the 1 pound canisters) will last longer.  However, the most significant thing we felt we learned was that when, and if, the time comes that you can no longer maintain your home, and have to move to a retirement home, commonly referred to by my husband as a "Room with a Number," you need to choose your new home carefully. During power outages, we, like many people, listen to the radio coverage of the storms.  You can learn a lot from the experiences of other people.  One lady called the radio station from her "Room with a Number."  She lived on the 4th floor of a retirement home, and she was over 90 years old.  On her particular floor there were around 8 other people who were also over 90 years old.  They all could walk, but to do so, they had to used a walker. Like most of the people going through the power outage without heat, they were cold.  There was a fireplace on the main floor, but the elevator was not working.  They couldn't get to it.  There was no way they could get down the stairs with their walkers.  So they suffered. Apparently, some nursing type homes for the elderly have emergency generators to keep the elevators going during power outages.  I would also imagine that some retirement homes are better prepared for these emergencies and have plans to help their people during these times. The moral here, obviously, is to choose your retirement home carefully.  Choose one with an emergency generator and a caring staff.  You may not need a walker when you first enter your new home, but you have to allow for the changes that may take place as you age. About the Author: Nikki Willhite, mother of 3 and an interior design graduate, has been writing and publishing articles on the topic of frugal living for over a decade. Visit her at www.frugalhappyfamilies.com - where you will find hundreds of frugal living tips and articles. Frugal Happy Families- more than just money!

 

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