If the Power Goes Out Tonight: A Home Check for Aging in Place

A short power outage can reveal how much of an ordinary evening depends on electricity. The lights go out, but so may the phone charger, internet connection, heating or cooling system, garage door opener, and equipment someone relies on. For a person aging in place, the useful question is specific: what would still work in this home tonight, and what would require help?

You can answer much of that question before an outage. Choose an ordinary evening and trace the routine from the favorite chair to the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and usual exit. You do not need to cut power to the house for this exercise. Keep essential equipment and alarms operating, and check each backup light and device separately.

Battery flashlight on a side table beside a chair as daylight fades in a living room
Illustrative scene. A flashlight helps only if the resident can find and use it when the room goes dark.

Find the first light before the first step

Imagine the lights failing while the resident is sitting in their usual chair. Where is the nearest flashlight or battery lantern? Can they reach it without crossing a dark room? Try its switch and check the batteries. Put another working light near the bed so a nighttime trip to the bathroom does not begin in darkness. If a light is stored in a drawer no one can find, its place in the plan exists only on paper.

Follow the walking route with the backup lights in their proposed positions. Check changes in floor level, doors, stairs, and the way to the toilet. A lantern on a stable surface may light a route while leaving both hands free; keep cords and loose items out of the path. Ready.gov advises flashlights rather than candles during outages because candles add fire risk. Our everyday lighting guide can help identify the same routes when the power is on.

List what needs electricity, not just what has a plug

Make three columns: essential task, what stops working, and the backup or person to contact. Include the phone and its charging cable, internet-based calling or alerts, powered door or garage controls, heating and cooling, and any medical device or assistive technology. Test a power bank with the resident's actual phone and cable. Keep important phone numbers on paper as well as in the phone, since a charged device does not guarantee that a network will be available.

If someone depends on electrically powered medical equipment, make a specific plan with their clinician, device supplier, and electric utility before an outage. Ask how long any approved battery lasts, what to do when it runs low, and where the person can go if power is not restored. Do not guess that a household power bank can run a medical device. Ready.gov recommends planning backup power and relocation for equipment that depends on electricity for life-sustaining needs.

Blank planning sheet, flashlight, batteries, phone and power bank on a kitchen table
Illustrative supplies. Check that the actual batteries, cables, and backup devices work together.

Decide when staying home stops working

Heat and cold can change the answer quickly, especially when a home's heating or air conditioning is electric. Identify a nearby place the resident could reach if indoor conditions become unsafe, and decide who would help with transportation. If the usual exit has powered locks or a garage door, learn its manufacturer-approved manual operation in advance and check that the resident can use an alternative exit. Local outage updates and emergency instructions should guide the decision during an actual event.

Check food, water, and medications in the same practical way. Have food that can be eaten without the usual appliances and water that does not depend on an electric pump. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed during an outage and follow current food-safety guidance afterward. For any temperature-sensitive medicine, read its storage instructions and ask a pharmacist or health care provider what to do if refrigeration is interrupted; the answer depends on the medicine and its exposure. The FDA advises checking the label or getting professional advice rather than guessing that it remains usable.

Do not bring a generator, grill, camp stove, or other fuel-burning device into a house or garage for power, heat, or cooking. Carbon monoxide cannot be seen or smelled. The CDC says generators must be operated outdoors, away from doors, windows, and vents, with a working battery-powered or battery-backup carbon monoxide detector in the home. Any generator connection to household wiring belongs to a qualified professional.

Practice the check-in before it is needed

Agree with one or two trusted people on a simple rule: who calls or texts, when they will check again, and what they will do if there is no reply. A neighbor who can reach the home may be more useful for an immediate check than a relative several hours away. Write the plan beside the paper contact list, and make sure the resident knows where it is. During an emergency, use local alerts and call emergency services for immediate danger.

Battery lantern lighting a hallway between a bedroom and bathroom at dusk
Illustrative route. Test placement and floor conditions in the actual home.

Finish with a ten-minute rehearsal while normal power remains on: locate and switch on the backup lights, walk the key routes, charge the phone from its backup source, find the written contacts, and say aloud when the resident would call for help or leave. Note each failure and fix the most consequential one first. A plan that works on a regular evening is more useful than a box of supplies whose contents no one has tried.

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