Be Prepared: Six Medical and Home Safety Tips to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse (or Just Real Life)

Fair warning: this post doesn’t have any guns with super cool self-feeding ammo, or arcane advice on how to survive THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT.

But it’s important nonetheless. If the civilized world does come to an end, you’re going to really wish you’d taken care of this stuff. And if it just keeps plugging along, you’re probably going to wish you’d taken care of this stuff, anyway.

What stuff am I talking about? I’ll take you through my checklist to help you and your family get prepared for whatever life has to throw at us.

1. Glasses. Do you have a spare pair? Even better, more than one? I bit the bullet recently and visited my optometrist, even though I already had a working pair of prescription sunglasses as well as one with clear lenses. I’m nearsighted, and I’m light sensitive, which doubles my optometry bill. My old, functional pairs have now been downgraded to spares, and I have new glasses of both types. Since I wear glass lenses, which are resistant to scratches, and my eyes don’t change much over time, with care this could last me for the next ten years. (Or less, if Tuni the indomitable gets hold of a pair again. But now that she’s two, she’s less likely to chew things just because they smell like me.) *********************************************************************************************
2. Teeth. When did you last visit the dentist? And did you get your teeth cleaned? I’m glad I did. My gums are much healthier now, and it turned out I needed a new crown (the tooth cap, not the golden circlet). Now I don’t have to worry about an unexpected toothache rescheduling my life. And if the doom-and-gloom crowd is right, I definitely don’t want to deal with dental issues as I fight off the zombie hordes. ***********************************************************************************************
3. A regular doctor’s visit. Nothing exciting happened as a result of my Kaiser appointment, other than the flu shot I get every year, but that means I shouldn’t get sick over the holidays, and that’s a very good thing. Flu shots are not live, so they can’t give you the flu, and I remember life before we had these things. One year we were all so sick at Christmas that the four of us just lay prostrate in bed, only getting up to use the bathroom and take on more liquids and meds. It was an absolutely miserable time, and I’m so glad I never have to do that again. Just mentioning it in case you’ve been “too busy” to get one. ******************************************************************************
4. First aid class and CPR. Nobody has made me get certified in this area in quite some time, and I was shocked when I realized it’s been eleven years. Okay, I’ve been to a bunch of these things in the past, but still. You never know when you might need to step up and save the life of someone you love. If we all pinky swear to do this, our families will be safer. (I’m taking another class in January.) It’s definitely worth doing–my son is alive only because I got training in this area. *************** *****************************
5. Fire extinguisher. When was the last time you replaced yours? In my case it was when we moved in–sixteen years ago. That’s far too long. I now own a shiny new fire extinguisher that hangs on my wall instead of languishing in the back of my cupboard. If I ever need the thing, I’ll have a much better chance of actually putting out a fire with it in a timely manner. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
6. And in a related issue, when was the last time you replaced the battery in your smoke detector, and do you have a carbon monoxide detector as well? A CO detector probably saved my life six years back, so if you have any source of gas in your house, make sure you have one of these things. They’re really quite inexpensive (a mere $14 on Amazon), especially considering that they save lives.

The end of the world as you know it can take a lot of forms. Job loss. The power grid downgraded to that of a third world country. (Trust me, nobody in California expected that.) In my case, I had a wicked bout of mono last year that kept me mostly bedridden for months. I’m still trying to recover from that–rebuilding my endurance has been surprisingly difficult.

So, please don’t procrastinate this stuff. Let’s all be at our best so we can take care of those we love.

P. S. I was going to put off posting this until January because it’s not exactly Christmas-y material, but then I read the CDC statistic that 900 Americans have already lost their lives because of the flu this season. Sometimes the vaccine runs out or simply becomes unavailable. When you’re out and about, consider popping into the drugstore and boosting your immune system. You may even be able to get some shopping done at the same time. : )

About cathleentownsend

Avid writer and reader of Faerie tales and noblebright fantasy.