Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

100 Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness
Preparedness Guide for People with Disabilities/Special Needs, 2007). Some
advocates argue for the identification of older persons as a distinct vulnerable
group, while others, pointing to the heterogeneity with the older
age category, argue it is functional limitations that create vulnerability, not
age. Neither the community of older persons nor those with disabilities
are necessarily happy to be co-identified. One approach to addressing
this issue is the aforementioned functional needs framework for emergency
preparedness.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada recently proposed a framework
for developing a comprehensive mental health strategy for Canada
(Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2009). The framework identifies
and challenges the negative impact of stigma and discrimination on people
who live with mental health problems and illnesses. The principle that
discrimination should not be tolerated in policies, practices, and laws also
has important implications for the development of emergency services
and the mainstreaming of older persons with mental health needs within
emergency management operations.
Building Capacity
A third issue pertains to the need to build capacity both to respond to
older persons’ heightened vulnerability in emergencies and to more effectively
utilize the contributions older persons can make to emergency
management. Capitalizing on older persons’ potential contributions requires
a sociopolitical culture receptive to the skills, knowledge, and wisdom
of older persons (HelpAge International, 2006; the Sphere Project,
2004; United Nations, 2002). The integration of older persons within
emergency management initiatives is identified as a key target for future
research and development, along with developing community organizations,
strengthening public education, and encouraging individual responsibility
in disaster preparation (Sérandour & Beauregard, 2007).
Communication is central to integration and capacity building. The
research on Canadian disasters presented here highlights the critical importance
of communication. Historically, older Canadians had less access
to education and have corresponding lower literacy skills (Turcotte &
Schellenberger, 2007). It is essential that emergency management information
is developed and disseminated in ways that will reach the older
adult population (Gibson, 2007). A failure to be responsive to the varying
communication needs of population subgroups can exacerbate emergency
management challenges unnecessarily. This issue is addressed in the various
community-based initiatives described earlier, in which enhancing