The Brookline Office of Emergency Management, in collaboration with the Brookline Department of Public Health & Human Services, recently offered a two-part program for older residents on how to secure their vital documents, one of a series of presentations offered via the Emergency Preparedness Buddies Program.
Staff from the Brookline Office of Emergency Management and the Brookline Department of Public Health & Human Services visited the Brookline Senior Center twice to assist senior residents with keeping their vital documents secure in the event of an emergency.
On Thursday, February 15, 2024, residents attended a presentation held by the Office of Emergency Management and Department of Public Health & Human Services staff at the Brookline Senior Center. The session covered the importance of having access to vital documents in the event of an emergency, which documents are most important, and how to store them safely.
At the end of the presentation, residents were given a list of documents that they should gather and secure, including personal information, medical files, and financial documents.
Residents were then given the opportunity to have their documents scanned by program organizers as part of the second portion of the program, held on Thursday, February 22, 2024. Organizers used portable document scanners to securely store the documents onto a free USB drive for residents to keep.
“This program is just another example of how valuable the Brookline Senior Center is at addressing the needs of seniors. They do a great job at responding to the needs of people, and this program is a pragmatic service that they’re doing which will help many of us,” said Ruth Ginsberg-Place, a resident who took part in the program.
If enough interest is generated, the Brookline Office of Emergency Management and the Brookline Department of Public Health & Human Services will return to the Brookline Senior Center to continue to aid residents in scanning documents.
The Emergency Preparedness Buddies Program (EP Buddies) assists Brookline seniors and adults with disabilities who live alone to prepare for and respond to emergency situations. More information is available here.
This project is supported with federal funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI).
