Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

88 Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness
health agencies resulted in overcrowded shelters with inadequate sanitation.
Some older persons reported having to sleep on the floor and experiencing
disturbed sleep by noise from those around them.
Maltais, Robichaud, and Simard (2001) conducted a study with older
persons, the majority (61%) of whom remained in their homes during the
ice storm. These older persons advocated that more practical support and
safety information should be made available by radio for those who choose
to stay at home. More outreach to older persons was also recommended.
Neighborhood patrols by police and door-to-door checks by relief personnel
made older persons feel safer and provided hands-on assistance with
heavy jobs. Some older persons noted that they continued to receive their
regular home health care; however, many older persons who lived alone
or had health problems but who were not known to relief organizations
were overlooked.
Improved coordination between municipalities, community groups,
public health departments, and social service organizations; reliable, upto-date
record keeping on high-risk individuals; and better communication
with victims were among the authors’ recommendations (Maltais, et al.,
2001) .
The focus on mental health issues in this study was directed to resilience
more than vulnerability. Older persons identified a number of supports
that helped them during the disaster. Older persons who worked as
volunteers reported it was a beneficial experience for themselves as well
as others. They believed they had been useful and that the work had kept
them busy throughout the stressful time. Psychological support, a patient
attitude, and compassion from health and allied workers were also viewed
as having made an important difference.
Flooding in Quebec Saguenay Region
In July 1996, major flooding took place in Saguenay-Lac St. Jean, a part of
Quebec. No lives were lost; however, 2,000 elderly were evacuated from
their homes, 426 homes were destroyed, and more than 2,000 homes were
damaged (Maltais & Lachance, 2007).
Mental health issues related to this disaster have been explicitly studied
by Maltais and colleagues. Lalande, Maltais, and Robichaud (2000)
conducted research using a case study approach to describe the experiences
of the disaster on flood victims’ psychological health. Participants
included 15 men and 15 women between 33 and 74 years of age. Of the
30 participants, 19 lost their homes completely or suffered major damage