title: Psychological and Physical Impacts of Extreme Events on Older Adults: Implications for Communications.
abstract: In recent years, a series of large-scale, high-profile natural disasters and terrorist attacks have demonstrated the need for thorough and effective disaster preparedness. While these extreme events affect communities and societies as a whole, they also carry specific risks for particular population groups. Crises such as Hurricane Katrina and the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan have illustrated the risk of significant and disproportionate morbidity and mortality among older adults during disasters. Age does not necessarily equate to vulnerability, but many physical and psychological consequences of the aging process can increase the risk of adverse outcomes. As the older population grows, so too does the need to ensure that adequate, practical, and appropriate measures exist to offset the specific risks from extreme events associated with this subpopulation. Effective risk and crisis communication plays a key role in mitigating the extent to which older adults are differentially affected during extreme events. By identifying the specific issues affecting older adults, this review highlights important areas for action for practitioners and policy-makers, particularly in the realm of crisis communication. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:127-134).
authors.affiliation: 1Department of War Studies,King's College London,United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McClelland
authors.affiliation: 3Emergency Response Department,Health Protection Agency,Salisbury,United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amlôt
authors.affiliation: 1Department of War Studies,King's College London,United Kingdom.
authors.forename: M Brooke
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: 2Psychological Medicine,King's College London,United Kingdom.
authors.forename: G James
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.affiliation: 1Department of War Studies,King's College London,United Kingdom.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tesh
authors.affiliation: 1Department of War Studies,King's College London,United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Julia M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pearce
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003142:Communication; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: communication; disasters; vulnerable populations