Am I too old or disabled to bug out and survive?
The Sargent 
Am I too old or disabled to bug out and survive? This is a question that one of my readers asked and another made the remark that no one ever has any prepping info for old or handicapped people. This has really bothered me so in today’s post, I am going to take this subject head on and throw my thoughts on the subject out there.
First question: “Am I too old or disabled to bug out?” First let me say that some of you may disagree with my stance on this subject, but that’s ok because this is one of those things that pull at the heart and mind. The short answer to this question is if you can still breathe and still move at all, then no, you are not too old. I would rather be caught rolling down the side of the road in a wheelchair and praying for a miracle that just roll over and give up! Fortunately I am not in a wheel chair and can still get around as well as anyone. But if I was, I would not just lie down and die for any reason on earth and giving up is cowardly in my book. You may then ask what an old person could possibly contribute to a survival group. The answer is very simple “Knowledge”. You have not been coddled all of your life and you know how to do things that many of us today have long forgotten. You remember seeing how things were done before there were washing machines and even cars in some cases. My father in law was telling me one day about how his father was a Blacksmith and as we talked, the information I learned on the subject was amazing. No, my father-in- law was not a blacksmith, but his father was and he has spent many hours watching his father work and was a vast resource of knowledge. Most of the people under 50 have never even planted anything besides flowers and have no idea of where to even start to grow a food garden. In the post SHTF world, knowledge will be king, so yes; you still have a lot to offer in a survival situation. You may not be able to plow or weed a garden anymore, but you can still explain to others how to do it. If they find a bug on a food plant and bring it to you, you could probably know if it is a good bug or something that needs to be eliminated. Maybe your eyes are not as sharp as they once were, but you can still do other things like help by sharing recipes’ and other things you learned when you were growing up. If you still have your hearing, then you can listen to the radios for information on what is going on and free up someone else that can do other things. Yes, you still have a lot to offer to survival groups and they would be fools not to recognize your value.
As far as giving up… well I look at it this way. The good Lord put us all on this earth and he keeps each one of us breathing till our work that he has for us is done. If you give up, then it is like telling God that you are giving up on him. What about all of the men and women that have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect this land we love? Was it all for nothing? Are you willing to give up on something that they believed so much in? We are all in this together and we will either survive or we will die and you can make the difference for many people. I think that the way we face death is at least as important as how we face life. In the end, it is your decision; will you help others to survive or will you turn your back on them. You are never too old to bug out and survive, you just have to be willing to face what comes and to help others survive anyway you can.
Second Question: ”Does anyone have any Prepping information for older and handicapped people?” Actually I think that there is a lot of information out there for older and handicapped people, if you really look. It does point out that we in the internet prepping community need to make it more accessible to those who want and need it. I am going to look into setting aside some articles each month to address these very issues. What might help would be if you could let me know by emailing me and letting me know what you are most interested in. Not being handicapped myself, I wouldn’t want to overlook any of the special challenges that handicapped people face. I do know that locating a Prepper group that values what you have to offer would be a good first step on the road to feeling more in control of your own future. I strongly believe that there are many older and handicapped people out there that have a great deal to offer and just because you can’t ride a horse or walk a hundred yards or even stand for that matter, it doesn’t mean that you have nothing to offer. Groups will need someone to help watch the children while their parents do other work. As I mentioned before they will need someone to listen to radios for information and share the knowledge that you have. You are a valuable resource that will be greatly needed when the time comes.