Houston storm season arrives every year between June and November. For families with an older parent or spouse living alone, the storms mean more than worrying about property damage. A hurricane looming over the Gulf Coast means potential floods and power outages. It means wondering how a senior loved one will weather the storm. For many seniors, the family is spread across Texas, out of reach of providing immediate help.
Depending on a senior parent’s abilities, storm season in Houston can make families worried even at a senior living community, making the choice of community all the more important. Here’s a guide to how hurricane season can impact senior living and how families can prepare, including what questions you can ask while visiting communities to relieve your fears. At StoneCreek of Copperfield Senior Living, families rest easy knowing that the Houston storm season is part of the team’s yearly routine, with plans and backup plans for how to keep everyone secure.
Why Houston Storm Season Puts Older Adults at Greater Risk
Storm season in Houston poses even greater risks to older adults. This list of risk factors is not intended to make you worried, but it summarizes why a good storm plan is such an important thing to look for in a Houston senior living community:
- Power outages can impact oxygen concentrators, medication refrigeration, temperature control, or electrical therapy and mobility equipment
- Phone lines can go down, both internet-based and traditional landlines
- Flooding can trap older adults indoors, unable to reach help
- Debris or weather conditions can prevent evacuation
- Potential confusion from storm sounds and power failure
- Road conditions making driving impossible
While young families may be able to wade to a rescue boat, drive to a more secure location, or find creative ways to signal for help, older adults may try to stay put due to mobility issues or other obstacles. Storm season can expose an older adult’s support network by revealing whether they have family or friends who can really help in a time of need.
Even when an older adult can manage their day and their property in normal weather, storm season can present extreme challenges. Senior living communities provide older adults with a secure building that they don’t have to maintain. At higher levels of care, they may have a team to help them manage the situation.
Senior Living Storm Preparedness Comparison
Though senior living communities offer larger buildings with more people, families may still be concerned about oncoming storms and whether the care team has a storm plan in place, especially if their parent is in independent living or assisted living.
Print this worksheet to bring with you when touring or speaking with senior living communities so you can ask the same questions and keep track of the answers.
How StoneCreek of Copperfield Approaches Houston Storm Season
Providing hurricane safety for seniors requires extra effort and thought. For Houston families worried about their loved ones, silence is often the scariest part of a storm. StoneCreek of Copperfield Senior Living offers independent living, assisted living, and memory care on one campus, which means a continuum of care and communication at every level.
Many residents have moved from independent living to higher levels of care over the years, helped by a team that has the whole family on file and knows everyone by name. Team members never leave families in the dark about their loved one’s care, even when the power goes out.
At StoneCreek of Copperfield, a round-the-clock team stays on-site through storm season. The community also offers mental health support through Deer Oaks, a team trained in the potential mental and emotional impact of storm season in Houston on daily routines. Even the sound of wind howling across the roof can be difficult for older adults aging in place, even those who have ridden out a lot of storms in their life. Consistent care and planning give families peace of mind, no matter what level of care their loved one needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Storm season in Houston runs from June 1 through November 30. Peak activity along the Gulf Coast usually falls between August and October.
Families should ask about backup power, evacuation and shelter-in-place plans, how medications and medical records are handled during a move, and how the community keeps families informed before, during, and after a storm. Print the question comparison chart from this article to keep track of each community you visit.
StoneCreek of Copperfield offers independent living, assisted living, and memory care on one campus, with a team on-site around the clock. Families are welcome to ask the team about the community’s specific backup power and evacuation plans during a personalized visit.
That decision belongs to each family. A senior living community can offer backup power systems, a trained team, and an evacuation plan to promote hurricane safety for both residents and their families. Many Houston families choose to make the move before hurricane season so they don’t have to decide during an emergency.
Houston Senior Living Communities Help Families Prepare
Storm season is a fact of life in Houston that no family can control. They may worry for their loved one’s safety, especially as their abilities change, but consistent support from a senior living community should relieve most, if not all, of these doubts. This is why asking the right questions before choosing a community can be so important. Print out the comparison chart above before visiting your community picks to make sure you ask the right questions about hurricane safety and preparedness at each one.
Learn More at StoneCreek of Copperfield
Storm season is the right time to see how StoneCreek of Copperfield cares for residents year-round. Schedule a personalized visit to learn more about your care options, including how the team keeps families informed during the challenges of the Houston storm season.
