Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

306 Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness
Some human relationships give rise to such strong bonds that breaking
them is especially painful. This may be stating the obvious, but it is
necessary to state the obvious so as to quantify and examine it. In this
case, we must examine which relationships cause specific levels of grief.
Sanctioned and Unsanctioned Grief
However scant the consolation, society endorses, recognizes, and finds
ways to support the distress caused by some kinds of bereavement. The
language of bereavement contains separate words for those who have
lost spouses or parents. Governments and charities often provide for
widows and orphans. In many parts of the world, however, the person
who has lost a lifelong gay partner has no special legal status.
When older persons lose their possessions in disasters it may be
thought they are mourning a merely material loss. Rescuers accustomed
to e-mailing digital pictures can find it hard to appreciate the significance
of old and faded photographs. A common part of grieving is to preserve,
or to be unable to destroy, the clothing or possessions of a dead child,
spouse, or partner. In this way, these objects have more than material
meaning for their owners.
Grieving for pets is a complex matter. In some cases, the pet may be
a transitional object connected with a deceased person, or it may be the
sole companion of someone otherwise solitary.
Are the Old Less Grieved For?
Some lives are considered, overtly or covertly, more valuable than others.
Rescuers in disaster situations may find themselves making distinctions.
A triage rescue system that apparently leaves the old to fend for
themselves may not be entirely the result of discrimination.
World War II bombings killed 50,000 British civilians. To try to reduce
the danger, civilians were evacuated from their homes in the targeted
cities. Initially the plan was to move children and older persons. So
many of the older persons refused to leave their homes that efforts were
eventually limited to the evacuation of children.
The lesser value of the life of an older person can be rationalized in
several ways. Actuarially, their lives have less value because they are closer