Guide, United States

An emergency kit as a gift for ageing parents

How we wrote this: researched from the public sources listed at the end of the page. General information, not medical or legal advice. Last checked 2 November 2026.

Plenty of us look after two houses: our own and Mum and Dad's. A ready made kit is a practical gift, and it opens a conversation about a plan that is easier to have now than during a storm. Here is what Ready.gov says older adults need, and how to send it.

What Ready.gov recommends for older adults

From Ready.gov's page for older adults and caregivers:

Tailor the kit to the person, with medicines, medical supplies, batteries and chargers.
Copies of insurance cards, including Medicare or Medicaid.
A NOAA Weather Radio and alerts on the phone.
A support network who know the plan, and at least one person with a spare key who knows where the supplies are.
A plan for assistive devices such as walkers or wheelchairs, and for transport if they need help leaving.

A kit can cover the supplies. The network, the spare key and the medicines list are the parts only family can do.

Which kit to send

For a couple at home, a two person 72 hour kit with a radio and headlamps covers the basics. For parents in an area with long outages, add light and charging.

Single items that suit older hands: a radio with big controls, a lantern that stands on a table, and a first aid kit they can open easily.

Plan it with Supply Drops

Supply Drops is our free planner for the houses you look out for. Pin your home and your parents' home, assign a kit to each house, and each house checks out on its own with its own delivery address. Pins stay in your browser and are not sent to us.

Then put both houses on the Situation screen so you see public alerts near your parents as well as near you.

Make the plan together

Print the free 72-Hour Family Plan and fill it in with them: who has a key, where the kit lives, the medicines list, and who rings whom. Medicines and devices are a conversation for their doctor or pharmacist.

FAQ

Is an emergency kit a good gift for older parents? It is practical and it starts the plan conversation. Pair it with the free plan and a spare key arrangement.

Can I ship a kit straight to my parents? Yes. Each house in Supply Drops checks out separately, and you type their address on the checkout page.

Should the kit include their medicines? Ready.gov says to include medicines and supplies tailored to the person. Ask their doctor or pharmacist about keeping a spare supply.