Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

94 Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness
research. The situation had improved since the Falkiner (2003) study with
the advent of several new programs including Brandon University’s two
4-year baccalaureate applied disaster and emergency studies programs,
which offer a disaster science concentration and a planning and management
concentration. The results of the study by Bruce and colleagues
(2004) indicated, however, that Canada still has an insufficient number of
DM education programs to meet the country’s needs. Two contributing
factors are the lack of an established body of literature in emergency response
management in Canada and the difficulty in finding educators
with both the necessary field and academic preparation. The authors recommended
Canada immediately take action to ensure sufficient resources
will be in place to meet the education gap. They called for the establishment
of a working group to determine Canada’s particular needs and to
develop education standards for emergency managers. They also recommended
that the national research institutes recognize DM as a research
program and designate funds for this emerging field. Educational programs
and support are essential for the emerging discipline of DM.
Since the Bruce and colleagues (2004) report, there have been further
encouraging developments in DM education. A continuum of programs
is gradually being developed across the country to meet the needs of busy
working professionals as well as students new to the field. Part-time certificate
programs such as Centennial College’s emergency management
program, which is delivered executive-style over nine weekends, or Cape
Breton University’s postgraduate emergency management program, which
is offered through distance education for those with an existing diploma
or degree, make educational upgrading more accessible. Full-time baccalaureate
and master’s programs have recently been developed. Royal
Roads University in western Canada now offers a 2-year interdisciplinary
master of arts in disaster and emergency management and York University
in central Canada offers a master of arts in disaster and emergency
management.
The Red Cross report referenced earlier (Enarson & Walsh, 2007)
highlights the training gap regarding the DM needs and capabilities of
high-risk groups in Canada and the lack of emergency preparedness training
in organizations that work with these groups. The authors recommended
that a major review of training and postsecondary teaching
materials be conducted to assess their sensitivity to high-risk population
groups in Canada. They also argued for strengthening the social vulnerability
perspective on disasters and emergency management policy and
practice in educational programs across all disciplines.