FORT MYERS, Fla. — A local agency called Granny Nannies are sharing their experiences caring for seniors and what you can do to care for those you know.
"There's a lot of seniors here who are scared," says Mary Toston.
Granny Nannies has been in Fort Myers since 2002. Mary Toston says they serve seniors who need long-term care before a natural disaster, they reach out to each client to get them prepared and make sure caregivers are present.
"If the news is saying that the storm surge is going to hit your area and you're in that zone that is going to impact I would get a hotel inland before it books because the storm changes fast," says Toston.
She remembers when Hurricane Irma hit southwest Florida in 2017. She says they supported all of their clients from both Lee and Collier County, making sure medication, documentation, food, water and more was in place in case they had to evacuate.
She recalls having issues getting seniors to leave their homes.
"And it took a lot of just talking and talking and persuasion, and thank God we did, because, of course, we know what happened to Fort Myers Beach," says Toston. "She's now till this day, her condo is not livable."
Tuesday, Lee County commissioners voted to declare a state of emergency for the county, but there are no evacuation orders in place. Still Toston urges the community to check on the seniors who live in your community.
