Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

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(Gurland & Gurland, 2008a, 2008b; Gurland, Gurland, Mitty, & Toner,
2009). The subdomains are the following: empowerment, respect, identity
and spirituality (Banerjee et al., p. 30).
The term spirituality , however, has very little meaning for cohorts born
prior to 1935 (Simmons, 2005 ). Their primary experience is with denominational
or cultural religious rituals aimed at strengthening their faith in
a God. When a disaster occurs, they turn to the clergy and other members
of their religious affiliation (Kilijanek & Drabek, 1979).
Those born a decade later were introduced to broader concepts of
spirituality during their formative years in the 1960s (Simmons, 2005). For
these older persons, spirituality is felt and experienced in a number of
ways. For some it is a transcendental experience with a higher being. For
others it is a communal experience with nature. For still others it may be
that feeling of oneness with other human beings who are working for the
greater good of all. But like the aforementioned older age cohort, spirituality
also may be tied to a religious tradition or belief system.
Ethnic Variations
Sue, Arredondo, and McDavis (1992) addressed the importance of cultural
competencies in counseling. Their work has relevance for professionals
working in disaster relief and specifically in the area of spirituality.
They caution professionals to be attentive to their own beliefs, which may
bias their ability to effectively provide multicultural (and in this instance
multispiritual) support. Furthermore, they emphasize the need for professionals
to understand the culture of the population they are assisting
and to utilize that knowledge when choosing interventions.
The New York Disaster Interfaith Services, or NYDIS (Harding,
2007), reaffirms the importance of developing cultural competencies. A
lengthy chapter in the manual for clergy and spiritual caregivers focuses
on the ongoing process of developing cultural competency and its importance
in providing spiritual care during disasters. 4 A brief review of
the typical spirituality patterns of multicultural populations comprising
some of the largest ethnic or cultural groups in the United States offers
an example of the wide diversity of spirituality with which professionals
must contend.
There is no better example of spiritual nuances than the over 500
native North American tribes. While most if not all emphasize a relationship
with nature, each has its own particular spiritual practices. The com-