Report Highlights Way To Protect Older Americans In Disasters
With hurricane season fast approaching, a new report from AARP finds that in disasters, older adults face challenges that are different from the rest of the adult population. The searing images of older Americans during Hurricane Katrina made this very clear and revealed significant weaknesses in how prepared we are to protect our most vulnerable citizens.
To help decision makers at all levels better understand how to better protect this population, AARP released a report: We Can Do Better: Lessons Learned for Protecting Older Persons in Disasters. The report focuses on three broad areas including planning and communications, identifying who needs help and what kind of help, and evacuating older people. The report is being released in conjunction with the start of hurricane season and National Hurricane Preparedness Week.
“The recent tragedies are reminders that disasters imperil us all, but are especially serious threats to older Americans and people with disabilities,” said AARP CEO Bill Novelli. “Lets act with resolve now to minimize the needless loss of life when the next disaster strikes.”
One of the overarching conclusions of the report is that integrating the needs of vulnerable older people and people with disabilities in existing emergency planning efforts is paramount. The report also identifies critical challenges that need to be overcome. They include:
— More clearly defining, “who should do what when” among to the array of organizations that have responsibilities during a disaster situation.
— Providing education and preparedness information to older people and those with disabilities appropriate to their needs and in accessible formats.
— Building relationships among organizations before disaster strikes to improve coordination and communication in emergency situations.
— Improving identification and tracking methods of both people and health information.
Hurricane Katrina resulted in 1,330 deaths, many of whom were elderly. In Louisiana, roughly 71 percent of the victims were older than 60, and 47 percent of those were over 75 years of age.
A key finding highlighted in the report from a Harris Interactive Survey conducted for AARP is that about 13 million persons age 50 and older in the U.S. say they will need help to evacuate in a disaster; with about half of these individuals requiring help from someone outside of their household. This proportion increases with advancing age.
“Recent catastrophic events have taught us we have to pay greater attention to evacuating, identifying and ensuring the safe return of thousands of frail older adults living on their own or in long-term care facilities,” Novelli said.
The report is the result of a conference AARP convened of more than 100 government officials at the federal, state, and local levels; emergency preparedness and response experts; relief organizations; and aging and disability advocates. The goal of the conference was to bring together a diverse group of experts to explore strategies to protect older people in both the community and long-term care facilities during disasters.
In addition to We Can Do Better, AARP has released a complementary guide, Dealing with Disasters, to help those whose lives have been affected by disaster to cope with the aftermath as well as to provide preparedness best practices for future disasters. The information covers, among other areas, how to create a personal disaster plan, ways to best evacuate when conditions warrant, methods of preventing illness and injury during a natural disaster, and tips for returning home in the aftermath of a disaster.
The report, We Can Do Better, and Dealing with Disasters Guide are available online. To view the information and learn more about AARPs efforts to address the needs of older people in the face of a disaster, please visit www.aarp.org/katrina.