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. “Let’s 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 this information and learn more about
AARP’s efforts to address the needs of older people in the face of a
disaster, please visit www.aarp.org/katrina.
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps
people 50-plus have independence, choice and control in ways that are
beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, www.aarp.org.
AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security,
protection and empowerment to older people in need with support from
thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices
in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands.
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