Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

120 Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness
focusing on community assets, competence, and capacities rather than
needs, hazards, and vulnerabilities strengthens local resilience and the capacity
of communities to adapt better and cope with disasters. The sustainable
livelihoods framework approaches development by assessing
natural capital, financial assets, human capital, social capital, and physical
capital in a community, building awareness of these resources and catalyzing
consensus for community action (International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies).
Surveys conducted within 8 weeks of the September 11, 2001, attacks
showed that residents of Manhattan reported elevated levels of symptoms
consistent with PTSD and depression (Galea, et al., 2002). While rates of
postdisaster psychiatric symptoms were higher among persons directly
affected by the disaster, persons indirectly affected also experienced a
higher prevalence of PTSD and depression than national benchmark estimates,
and elevated levels of psychological distress were also seen in respondents
with low social support (Galea, et al.). National surveys of stress
reactions reported that 44% of U.S. adults experienced substantial stress
following the September 11, 2001, attacks (Schuster, et al., 2001), Together,
these studies confirm that the psychological sequelae of disasters
reach far beyond those who are directly affected. By framing disasters as
community-level events with psychological implications for all involved,
regardless of direct personal loss (Norris, 2002), we can tailor disaster preparedness
to meet the needs of specific communities, prevent the erosion
of community cohesion, and provide the means for communities to take
control of disaster and emergency planning and response.
This chapter critiques existing preparedness activities, describes the
importance of community preparedness for older adults, and presents a
conceptual model of the relationship between community preparedness,
psychological well-being, and positive adaptive functioning to promote
quality of life.
GAPS IN TRADITIONAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Preparedness activities focus on reducing or mitigating the impact of a
disaster on a population and developing an effective response to its consequences
(International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,
2008b). Traditional emergency preparedness has focused on training