University of Adelaide. Australia: A University of Adelaide researcher has for the first time revealed how
prepared older South Australians feel when it comes to emergency events. Dr
Victoria Cornell says older people are often categorised as a
‘vulnerable’ group in emergency management; however, her research found
the elderly actually have a wealth of knowledge and experience when it
comes to emergency events, and they can be highly resilient.
The research findings were published in the Australian Journal of Emergency Management.
Dr Cornell, a research associate in the University’s Centre for Housing, Urban and Regional Planning, says older people should not be labelled as vulnerable but instead as a group with specific needs.
“Disaster
researchers classify older people as a vulnerable group; however, it’s
not advancing age alone that makes people vulnerable,” Dr Cornell says.
“Vulnerabilities
in disaster management are often associated with reduced physical
mobility, poor eyesight or hearing, pre-existing health conditions,
social isolation and low income. And while these are issues that may
occur in older people, you don’t necessarily have to be elderly to
experience these vulnerabilities,” she says.
Dr Cornell says
that for the older people in the study, being prepared for an emergency
isn’t about a one-off checklist. It’s a process of living and learning
to create a feeling of mental preparedness and the ability to cope.
“Older
people feel the events they have lived through make them mentally
strong and resilient, and able to withstand and recover from an event.
They don’t label themselves as being prepared for an emergency in a
practical sense; however, they also don’t feel vulnerable,” Dr Cornell
says.
“Because emergency preparedness is a process, elderly
people can have an advantage in some cases as they may have experienced a
range of emergency events throughout their lives. They also have a
wealth of knowledge and experiences, and a strong sense of community,”
she says.
According to Dr Cornell these findings will aid emergency management initiatives for older people.
“Elderly
people are more concerned about health-related emergencies than they
are about natural disasters such as bush fires. Therefore, emergency
messaging for older people should be broad because being too specific
about a particular hazard may result in a wasted opportunity to share
important emergency preparedness information. Ensuring older people are
secure, safe, and feel mentally strong, is more important.” Dr Cornell
says.
“By understanding what influences older people living in
the community to prepare for emergencies, we can move away from making
assumptions, and instead develop appropriate policies and processes
based on research findings,” she says.