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A special issue of the Journal of Applied Gerontology brings together 12 studies on how disasters affect older adults across the United States, Puerto Rico and China. The research identifies risks that can build before an emergency, including gaps in care planning and disrupted support networks, as well as protective factors such as reliable information and strong caregiving relationships.
A new special issue of the Journal of Applied Gerontology gathers 12 studies on how emergencies affect older adults, documenting how chronic illness, care access, mobility and social support can shape risks before, during and after disasters. The studies cover the United States, Puerto Rico and China, and include people aging at home as well as residents of assisted living and nursing homes.
The research examines a range of hazards, including hurricanes, floods, wildfires, extreme heat and air pollution. Its findings, as summarized in the report on the special issue, describe how risks can accumulate: repeated emergencies may arrive before a community has recovered, while illness, limited mobility and strained care systems can make preparation and recovery more difficult. The studies also examine how childhood adversity and losses following hurricanes may affect later-life outcomes.
One reported finding is that essential health services can be disrupted beyond the areas hit hardest. Prior experience with emergencies and routine management of chronic illness do not necessarily mean a person has a plan for maintaining care during a disaster. That planning can include securing medications, keeping medical equipment operating and staying in contact with health care providers.
The issue also identifies factors that can help, including resilience, self-efficacy, caregiving relationships and reliable information. Its editors and authors call for disaster planning to be built into routine clinical care, stronger preparedness and staffing capacity in long-term care, regulations suited to different facility risks, and community programs that account for older adults’ varied circumstances, particularly in rural areas.
Care Plans Must Reach Beyond Shelters
The findings matter because emergencies can disrupt more than immediate physical safety. The special issue describes how disasters may affect access to medications, the operation of medical equipment, contact with health care providers, routines, relationships and caregiving networks. These disruptions may affect older adults even when they are not in the areas hit hardest.
The research points to roles for health care providers, emergency managers, home care and long-term care facilities, and family caregivers in planning for older adults’ needs. The issue’s editors and authors call for preparedness that accounts for care and support needs alongside physical safety. These are priorities identified by researchers; the report does not establish that any single intervention will prevent harm in every emergency.
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Twelve Studies Across Three Regions
The special issue, titled Complex Emergencies and the Effect on Older Populations, brings together 12 studies spanning the United States, Puerto Rico and China. The research considers multiple hazards and care settings, including older people living at home and residents of assisted living communities and nursing homes.
The report describes emergencies as increasingly complex, including cases in which hazards overlap or strike before communities have fully recovered. The summary presents no numerical estimate of risk and does not claim that all older adults experience disasters in the same way. Instead, the studies highlight interactions among health, living conditions, care systems and social support, and the need for planning suited to those differences.
“Motivation alone is not enough.”
— Lindsay Peterson, Ph.D., special issue editor and University of South Florida School of Aging Studies faculty member
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Limits of the Reported Findings
The source summary does not provide individual study methods, sample sizes, effect estimates or detailed results for each of the 12 studies. It therefore does not show how large particular risks are, how findings differ by hazard or location, or which specific preparedness measures have been tested and found effective. The reported conclusions identify patterns and priorities, not a universal account of older adults’ experiences.
It is also unclear from the summary how quickly the recommendations might be adopted by health systems, long-term care facilities or local governments, and what resources implementation would require. Further detail from the studies and follow-up research would be needed to assess how proposed changes affect outcomes across different communities.
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Planning and Research Priorities
The special issue’s authors call for routine clinical disaster planning, improved readiness and staffing in assisted living and nursing homes, regulations that reflect different facility risks, and more community-based programs, especially in rural areas.
The studies offer evidence that may help planners, care providers and families identify gaps in continuity of care and support. The report says research can help communities prepare and keep older adults’ needs in planning, while its recommendations emphasize approaches suited to varied circumstances.
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Key Questions
What is the new development?
The Journal of Applied Gerontology published a special issue featuring 12 studies on how disasters affect older adults before, during and after emergencies.
Where were the studies conducted?
The studies span the United States, Puerto Rico and China, and examine people aging at home as well as residents of assisted living communities and nursing homes.
What kinds of risks does the report describe?
The report highlights interacting factors such as chronic illness, limited mobility, disrupted health services, weak social support and difficulty maintaining medications or medical equipment during a disaster.
What can support older adults during emergencies?
The issue identifies reliable information, resilience, self-efficacy and strong caregiving relationships as protective factors. Its authors also call for better planning across health care, emergency management, long-term care and community programs.
Does the report establish which preparedness measures work best?
The source summary does not provide enough study-level detail to compare specific interventions or quantify their effects. It presents recommendations and research findings, while the effectiveness of particular measures across settings remains unclear.
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