Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

Learning Modalities
Appendix I A Guide to Developing Training Programs 383
GOVERNMENTAL SPONSORS OF TRAINING PROGRAMS
GOVERNMENT LEVEL AGENCY TYPES
Federal n Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
n Administration on Aging (AoA)
n Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
State n State offi ces for the aging
n State health departments
n Regional and state agency disaster offi cers
n Eldercare locator
Municipal n Departments for the aging
n Health care institutions (hospitals, nursing homes,
walk-in health centers)
n Housing sites (senior housing, assisted living
facilities, subsidized housing)
n Other sponsors (senior centers, churches, food
banks, Salvation Army)
When designing geriatric emergency preparedness training, several
learning modalities are most effective, including the following:
Tabletop Exercises
Conducting tabletop exercises is an excellent way to present a group of
trainees with simulated emergency situations and allow for concrete discussion.
Tabletop exercises do not have any time restraints, thus enabling
trainees to closely examine a hypothetical emergency situation, discuss
ways in which the situation may be resolved, and plan for rescue and
follow-up interventions. Tabletop exercises work best with groups. They
promote open dialogue and team approaches to disaster preparedness.
For this reason, the level of discussion will inevitably affect the success
of tabletop exercises.
Cases
Table Appendix I.1
Incorporating case examples into geriatric emergency preparedness training
gives trainees the opportunity to discuss real-life situations or cases