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Problem statement: The number of disasters, both natural and man-made, continues to increase all over the world. In addition, people who are age 65 years and older represent the largest growing segment of the population in the United States. Therefore, it is inevitable that a growing number of older adults will face the effects of disasters. Existing literature confirms that older adults are more vulnerable to poor health outcomes related to disasters. Since a large number of older adults are living independently in the community, their preparedness for disasters is of increasing concern. Aim: The purpose of this research study was to assess the disaster preparedness of independent community-dwelling older adults. Methods: The study involved a convenience sampling of older adults, 65 years and above, who were surveyed in three senior citizen centers in the New York metropolitan area. The survey included demographic questions, as well as questions related to hurricane preparedness. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-Square Test of Independence and logistic regression. Findings: Of 183 respondents 70% were female, 90% were Caucasian and the majority were between the ages of 71 and 89 (67%). Approximately half of the respondents had high school education or less, and half had some college education or more. Ninety-three percent were independent in activities of daily living skills. Two-thirds of the respondents reported missing at least one household item from the American Red Cross Guidelines. Prior hurricane experience did not influence personal preparedness. The only demographic factor that was predictive of preparedness was education. The higher the level of education, the more prepared respondents tended to be. The length of time living in a hurricane-prone area was also predictive of preparedness. In addition, only 39% had an evacuation plan. Conclusion: This study identified a lack of personal disaster preparedness among a sample of independent community-dwelling older adults. Public health initiatives must focus on the development and implementation of programs and policies to prepare older adults for disasters and thus improve health outcome.
Disaster Preparedness for Seniors: A Comprehensive Guide for Healthcare Professionals outlines specific disaster scenarios for homebound, community, hospitalized, long term care, homeless and aged veterans. Chapters are written by a diverse group of authors, all of whom offer insight and expertise in training healthcare professionals in preparing for disasters. Topics include myths and realities of natural disasters and disaster preparedness for special populations of elders-the acute care elderly, the community-dwelling elderly, home based primary care senior veterans, the immune-compromised elderly, those with multiple and co morbid illnesses, the long-term care elderly, those elderly at the end of life and the effects of disaster on caregivers. A significant portion of the book is also devoted to training, competencies, literacy, cultural competency and resilience in disaster preparedness as well as the role of the academic medical center. The volume concludes with coverage of the management of behavioral, medical and psychological consequences of disasters. Disaster Preparedness for Seniors: A Comprehensive Guide for Healthcare Professionals is an important new volume and will serve as a guide for the development of programs, policies and procedures for evacuation of seniors during various disaster scenarios.
This study design was to identify and examine how disaster experience, self-efficacy, and demographic factors influence disaster preparedness in community-dwelling older adults. Current data indicates the United States is rapidly aging. Parallel to this significant increase among the elderly population, natural disasters are more prevalent. Consequently, older adults are affected adversely by these disasters and exposure to social vulnerabilities during the disaster cycle.
Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.
Older adults are considered one of the most vulnerable populations in natural disasters, and our knowledge of the communicative processes behind their disaster preparations is limited. Extant research has called for more scholarship to understand the antecedents to their preparations. One promising area in the literature is the notion of community for older adults. While perceptions of community have positive health benefits, there is little work that investigates the role of community perceptions in the natural disaster context for older adults. The focus of this effort is to bring more attention to the role that community and organizations have on risk behaviors for older adults by extending Witte’s (1992) Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM). To accomplish this goal, this study incorporates the concept of community-efficacy into the perceptions of efficacy component of the model to better understand intention toward preparing in advance for natural disasters for older adults living in continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). EPPM, generally an individual-centered health communication theory, includes the concepts of threat and efficacy, but overlooks a collective component, community-efficacy. Using quantitative survey data from two CCRCs in U.S., this research contributes to communication scholarship by highlighting how community-efficacy uniquely explains a significant, but small amount of additional variance on the intention to prepare for natural disasters above all other predictors in EPPM. This dissertation’s extension of the perceived efficacy components of EPPM can be useful at predicting older adults’ future disaster preparedness behaviors. Given the role of community resilience during natural disasters, as well as the beneficial impact of community within retirement communities, this dissertation examined several variables that influence the intention to prepare. The results show that disaster management perceptions, community identification, and response-efficacy moderate the relationship between community-efficacy and intention to prepare, while previous experience with natural disasters and communication with others before a natural disaster predicts the intention to prepare. Together, the investigation of these variables provides insight into both theoretical and practical considerations needed for understanding disaster preparations in the older adult context
In the devastation that follows a major disaster, there is a need for multiple sectors to unite and devote new resources to support the rebuilding of infrastructure, the provision of health and social services, the restoration of care delivery systems, and other critical recovery needs. In some cases, billions of dollars from public, private and charitable sources are invested to help communities recover. National rhetoric often characterizes these efforts as a "return to normal." But for many American communities, pre-disaster conditions are far from optimal. Large segments of the U.S. population suffer from preventable health problems, experience inequitable access to services, and rely on overburdened health systems. A return to pre-event conditions in such cases may be short-sighted given the high costs - both economic and social - of poor health. Instead, it is important to understand that the disaster recovery process offers a series of unique and valuable opportunities to improve on the status quo. Capitalizing on these opportunities can advance the long-term health, resilience, and sustainability of communities - thereby better preparing them for future challenges. Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters identifies and recommends recovery practices and novel programs most likely to impact overall community public health and contribute to resiliency for future incidents. This book makes the case that disaster recovery should be guided by a healthy community vision, where health considerations are integrated into all aspects of recovery planning before and after a disaster, and funding streams are leveraged in a coordinated manner and applied to health improvement priorities in order to meet human recovery needs and create healthy built and natural environments. The conceptual framework presented in Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters lays the groundwork to achieve this goal and provides operational guidance for multiple sectors involved in community planning and disaster recovery. Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters calls for actions at multiple levels to facilitate recovery strategies that optimize community health. With a shared healthy community vision, strategic planning that prioritizes health, and coordinated implementation, disaster recovery can result in a communities that are healthier, more livable places for current and future generations to grow and thrive - communities that are better prepared for future adversities.
Examining older adults' experiences with and response toward hurricanes within the context of the community of residence is key to both understanding their experiences and planning for future hurricanes. Specific to this research, the objective was to understand the current social network of older adults, or who provides care for whom under what circumstances, using the social constructionist perspective. Grounded theory combined with action research was the theoretical orientation guiding the study. Sources of data included the collection of household disaster plans, semi-structured interviews with older adult residents of housing authority neighborhoods, semi-structured interviews with community planners, and observation of community planning meetings. Data were gathered from older adults living in housing authority communities in Southeastern North Carolina using guidelines established by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to develop individual disaster plans. The individual disaster plans were completed during face to face meetings with the older adults, as were semi-structured interviews. Semi-structured interviews were also completed with area planners. Agendas, minutes, and observational notes from disaster planning meetings were collected. The content of the individual disaster plans, semi-structured interviews, and observation notes were then analyzed to determine gaps that must be addressed in order to meet the overall needs of the community. Working with participants, the housing authority disaster response committee, and county planners, a neighborhood plan will be developed that reflects the social construction of all concerned for use in response to future hurricanes. The impact of the multiple levels of communities was apparent in this research. While common thematic processes emerged in data analysis, planners, housing authority personnel and residents of housing communities define community differently. There is discordance when they identify needed resources, and when they reflect on past experience. A power differential which resulted in stifling was also observed.