Older Adult Health & Medical Concerns

The health of older adults may decline during emergencies due to multiple factors. Older adults often have more chronic conditions than other age groups, the treatment of which may require daily medications, specialized equipment, and care coordination. Sensory, physiological, and cognitive changes that may occur in the normal course of aging can also make it more difficult for older adults to cope with disaster situations such as extreme temperatures or noisy, crowded shelters. Understanding potential older adult health and medical concerns is essential in order to appropriately plan for these issues before an emergency event.

The following links include information on the specific health-related concerns older adults may face during emergencies.

General Considerations

• We Can Do Better: Lessons Learned for Protecting Older Persons in Disasters [PDF–354K]
  AARP
• CDC’s Disaster Planning Goal: Protect Vulnerable Older Adults [PDF–174K]
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Recommendations for Best Practices in the Management of Elderly Disaster Victims [PDF–1.3M]
  Baylor College of Medicine and American Medical Association
• Disaster Preparedness and the Chronic Disease Needs of Vulnerable Older Adults
  Preventing Chronic Disease Journal
• Care of Mentally or Physically Challenged Persons and the Elderly
  World Health Organization
• Preparedness Information for Persons with Disabilities
  DisabilityPreparedness.gov, Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities
• Seniors (Adults 65 Years and Older) and the Flu
  Flu.gov, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Mental Health, including Dementia

• Older Adults and Disaster: A Mental Health Care Guide
  Geriatric Mental Health Foundation
• Caring for Someone with Dementia in a Disaster
  Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Elderly Populations in Disasters - Hospital Guidelines for Geriatric Preparedness [PDF–1.1M]
  New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Chronic Conditions

• Multiple Chronic Conditions - A Strategic Framework [PDF–234K]
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services