The core idea
Build a personal plan that connects accessible warnings, agreed helpers, essential information and locally verified arrangements. Practise the decisions safely, and arrange trained support for needs that neighbours or volunteers cannot meet.
1. Plan around the person, not an age label
Older adults differ in mobility, hearing, sight, confidence, health and available support. Many organise help for others. Ask what the person can do independently, what assistance they want and what would become difficult if ordinary services stopped. A useful question is 'How would you receive an urgent message if the usual phone or electricity were unavailable?' rather than 'Who will take charge of you?'
India’s disability-inclusive disaster framework emphasises participation and accessibility. The Ministry of Home Affairs’ 2 December 2025 parliamentary reply describes accessible warnings, personal evacuation planning and training. These principles also help identify particular access needs in later life. Age and disability are not interchangeable; include the person’s actual circumstances rather than assuming a standard package.
Sources: Ministry of Home Affairs: disability-inclusive preparedness, Lok Sabha reply, 2 December 2025 ↗
2. Make sure a warning can be received and understood
Choose official local warning sources and note how messages reach the person. A siren, text message, spoken announcement and visual notice each depend on different abilities and equipment. Ask which formats work, in which language, and how the person will confirm understanding. NDMA’s SACHET portal provides official disaster alerts, but access to a portal alone does not guarantee that a particular person receives an urgent warning.
A good backup fails differently from the first method. Two apps on the same uncharged phone are not independent backups. Discuss alternatives with the person and local responders, including any safe, agreed neighbour contact arrangement. Check the warning’s location, time and instructions. Do not replace official directions with rumours or an old message that looks urgent.
Sources: Ministry of Home Affairs: disability-inclusive preparedness, Lok Sabha reply, 2 December 2025 ↗ · NDMA SACHET: official disaster alert portal ↗
3. Connect essential items to a care-continuity plan
Prepare a concise contact card in the person’s preferred readable form. It can include their chosen emergency contacts, relevant access needs and where authorised care information is kept. Obtain consent about who receives copies. Avoid displaying sensitive medical or financial details on a public noticeboard. A written backup can remain useful when a phone cannot be opened or charged.
Discuss essential medicines, records, assistive devices, batteries and any power-dependent care with the appropriate clinician or service provider before an emergency. Follow their individual instructions; do not change doses or improvise power connections. Agree who checks the plan and replacement dates. Packing belongings must never delay following urgent safety directions, and volunteers should not conduct technical or medical procedures they are not trained to perform.
Sources: Ministry of Home Affairs: disability-inclusive preparedness, Lok Sabha reply, 2 December 2025 ↗
4. Worked situation: the warning exists but is missed
In this illustrative case, Mr Shahid has difficulty hearing the building’s spoken announcements. The committee’s first proposal is simply to make them louder. He explains that written messages are easier for him, especially when several people speak at once. The team agrees an accessible text message and a second, safe contact arrangement with a neighbour, within the building’s approved emergency plan.
During a discussion drill, they discover that both people assumed the other would check that the message had been received. They assign that confirmation to one named person and a backup. They also discuss what happens when the phone network fails. The improvement is not merely adding a channel; it is making receipt, understanding and responsibility explicit without sending a neighbour into danger.
Sources: Ministry of Home Affairs: disability-inclusive preparedness, Lok Sabha reply, 2 December 2025 ↗
5. Worked situation: a helper is away
Mrs Devi uses a mobility aid and lives in a building whose lift may be unavailable during an emergency. Her nephew usually visits in the evening, so the family initially lists him as the only helper. A daytime discussion drill reveals that he may be far away. Writing his number twice under 'primary' and 'backup' does not create additional support.
With her agreement, the family asks the building’s responsible team and local emergency professionals to plan for the actual route and assistance she needs. A willing neighbour can relay information, but is not assigned an untrained lift or carry. The plan distinguishes communication support from physical evacuation support and marks unresolved needs for action. It becomes credible only when the required trained arrangements are confirmed.
A backup must cover the actual role
| Role | What must be confirmed |
|---|---|
| Warning confirmation | Accessible format and a named person to check receipt |
| Information relay | An agreed, safe contact and a different backup dependency |
| Physical assistance | Competent planning, trained people and appropriate arrangements |
Sources: Ministry of Home Affairs: disability-inclusive preparedness, Lok Sabha reply, 2 December 2025 ↗ · NIDM/DEPwD: disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction conference, 5 February 2020 ↗
6. Practise safely and respect assistance boundaries
Start with a tabletop discussion: a warning arrives, a contact is absent, or the usual exit arrangement cannot be used. Ask who makes each decision and how the person communicates a need. A practice session should reveal gaps without creating an emergency. Follow the building and local authority’s approved instructions; different hazards require different responses, so do not invent one evacuation rule for every situation.
Any physical drill involving movement assistance requires competent planning, suitable equipment where needed and trained supervision. Do not practise carrying a person down stairs as a casual volunteer activity. Ask before touching the person or their aid and explain the agreed action. Never enter floodwater, smoke, fire or an unsafe structure to carry out an informal check.
Sources: NIDM/DEPwD: disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction conference, 5 February 2020 ↗ · Ministry of Home Affairs: disability-inclusive preparedness, Lok Sabha reply, 2 December 2025 ↗
7. Maintain the plan and the person’s choices
Review the plan when contacts, living arrangements, mobility, communication or care needs change. Check that backup people still agree and know their role. Keep the most recent version clearly dated and remove confusing outdated copies from routine use. A contact who agreed two years ago may have moved away; a once-usable route may now be blocked.
After an event, support safe reconnection with chosen people and continuity of essential services through the responsible teams. Do not assume the person wants every neighbour to hear their experience. Ask what worked, what felt difficult and what should change. The result should be increased practical control and dependable support, not loss of privacy or independence.
Sources: NIDM/DEPwD: disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction conference, 5 February 2020 ↗
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Prepare an imaginary personal support plan
- Describe one person’s abilities, preferred communication and requested assistance. Include one local hazard without using private records.
- Map warning, confirmation, decision and assistance. Identify which roles need trained professionals and which a neighbour may safely perform.
- Test a phone failure and an absent helper in discussion. Mark any shared dependency that defeats both the main plan and its backup.
- Write the corrections, responsible contacts and review date. Ask how the person can change consent or update preferences.
Check your understanding
Are two alert apps on one phone independent backups?
No. Both may fail if the phone loses power or connectivity. Consider a suitably agreed alternative with different dependencies.
Why ask the older person directly about assistance?
They know their abilities, preferences and routines. A plan based only on age can miss needs and undermine independence.
Can a willing neighbour automatically provide physical evacuation?
No. Willingness does not establish training, equipment or a safe route. Arrange competent support for the actual need.
What should you do about a power-dependent medical device?
Plan in advance with the clinician or provider. Follow their instructions and do not improvise electrical or medical changes.
Why is a tabletop drill useful before a physical drill?
It can reveal unclear roles and missing arrangements without exposing the person to movement or environmental hazards.
An old helper has moved away. What needs updating?
Replace the contact, confirm a new person’s agreement and role, and test how the revised plan works with the older person.