Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

60 Geriatric Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Preparedness
workers, covered the following topics: Recognizing Stress in the Age of
Terrorism: Effects on Older Adults, the Personal and Professional Impact
of Trauma on Caregivers, the Effect of Aging on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,
Training Volunteers to Help Elderly Deal with Stress, and Spirituality
and the Elderly in Stressful Times.
In 2004, the CNYGEC, VA GRECC, and DFTA once again sponsored
a multi-site videoconference on the topic of disaster preparedness,
Geriatric Mental Health and Disaster Preparedness: Mental Health Interventions
and Treatment Plans. Larger in reach than the previous year’s
conference with 186 attendees, it was broadcast to 20 VA facilities and cosponsored
by the Western Reserve Geriatric Education Center, a BTEPA
Collaborative partner at the time. This videoconference was keynoted by
Daniel A. Nigro, retired chief of the New York City Fire Department,
who survived the collapses of the Twin Towers and became incident commander
upon the death of Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci, Jr. He
spoke on Disaster Preparedness—Prepare for the Worst by Being at Your
Best, followed by presentations on developing emergency plans for older
and frail people, structuring a system of mental health response, spiritual
assessment in times of crisis, evaluating a bioterrorism preparedness
campaign for veterans, and crisis as a revelatory experience.
Beginning in 2006, the CNYGEC curriculum, Geriatric Mental
Health and Emergency Preparedness, was piloted in a 40-hour certificate
program attended by 21 health care professionals. Based on feedback from
these participants, the training program was refined and offered again
in 2007 to 20 attendees and in 2008 to 24 attendees. This comprehensive
geriatric mental health disaster preparedness curriculum includes learning
objectives; an instructor’s outline; a teaching guide; resources such as cases,
videotapes, ritual, and role-plays; and PowerPoint presentations on CD-
ROM. Supplemental curricular materials include a video highlighting
the stories of survivors of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and
CNYGEC elective workshops entitled the Mental Health and Quality of
Life Improvement in Turbulent Times and Spirituality During Times of
Stress.
Stanford Geriatric Education Center
The Stanford GEC (SGEC) also targeted its HRSA funding on the mental
health effects of disasters and emergencies on older people. Specifically,
the SGEC project concentrated on older ethnic minorities, with
the following goals: (1) develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate