It’s hard to describe what the devastation from Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria means for residents of the affected areas. Unfortunately, some of the most vulnerable in all of these natural disasters have been the elderly. However, this issue isn’t new. In fact, 70% of those who died in Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were older adults whom refused or were unable to evacuate. It leaves us asking, why does this happen, and how can we be better prepared to prevent situations like this in the future?

Wisdom – perspective - time to do the things you enjoy – these are just a few of the things gained with age. However, with aging also comes challenges. As we get older, we may have more difficulty performing tasks that were previously done with ease. We may find the day-to-day activities, more challenging, and that can be frustrating. It is important to understand that you do have options. While not every older adult is able to live completely independently, there are things that you can do to help support self-sufficiency, and maintain your independence now and in the future.

As the Harvard Business Review wrote in 2012, there is a secret phrase top innovators all over the world use to launch new products, social movements, and ideas…How might we? The article goes on to quote, Tim Brown, CEO of the design firm IDEO, explaining why: