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 The University of Michigan in partnership with Washington D.C.-based
non-profit AARP conducted a new edition of the National Poll on
Healthy Aging in May and released the findings recently.
The survey, which is conducted several times a year on various
topics around aging, sought for the first time to assess how
prepared seniors are for emergency situations.
"Recent hurricanes, flooding and wildfires have devastated parts of
the U.S., and in each of these disasters, older adults have been
particularly affected," said Sue Anne Bell, a researcher at the
School of Nursing of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who
worked with the poll team.
"This poll can help those working in healthy-aging or
emergency-preparedness organizations for seniors know where gaps in
preparedness are and where a greater emphasis can be placed."
The poll found that nearly half of a nationally-representative
sample of 2,249 adults aged 50 to 80 either did not know if their
community had an emergency alert system or had not yet signed up to
receive alerts.
Just over half of the survey participants said they had the
recommended seven days' worth of food and water on hand, while even
fewer had cell phone chargers and radios that didn't require
electrical power.
Less than a third of respondents had prepared emergency kits with
essential supplies and medicines to get them through an emergency at
home or to take with them in an evacuation.
"Taking steps now to build a kit with essential supplies is one
strong recommendation I would make based on the poll results," Bell
said.
Geriatrician Dr. Kumar Dharmarajan of the Yale School of Medicine in
New Haven, Connecticut, said he was surprised the poll showed only 1
in 4 respondents who use essential medical equipment that requires
electricity have an alternative power source.
"(This) is a must . . . These power sources should be charged and
ready to go at a moment's notice," said Dharmarajan, who wasn't
involved in the poll.
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Bell agrees.
"A power loss could have huge health consequences for those who
depend on these devices, such as a home dialysis machine or an
oxygen concentrator."
Although three-quarters of those polled said they had experienced at
least one major emergency in their lifetime and more than one fifth
had experienced one in the past year, only 40% said they had spoken
with close family or friends about preparing for potential
emergencies.
Groups tasked with promoting emergency preparedness should consider
new strategies to engage with older adults who may not already be
well-prepared for emergencies, the poll team advises in their
report.
"Healthcare professionals who care for older adults should consider
discussing disaster preparedness, particularly in areas that
routinely face natural disasters," they write.
On the positive side, the poll did show that 82% of older adults
maintained one week's supply of their medications, and 72% said they
had a week's worth of other health supplies.
Dharmarajan noted that there is a dearth of formal guidelines on
basic preparedness for seniors.
While recommendations from the federal government and Red Cross
exist, they don't go into much detail about the number of days of
food supply one should have handy, or the need for secondary power
sources, he said.
"Physicians historically have not done a great job at advising
patients on emergency preparedness," he added. "Moreover, most
patients do not expect to hear about it from their physician.
However, when the topic is brought up as a health issue, I've never
had a patient be unwilling to engage in the discussion."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2k2m1SY National Poll on Healthy Aging, online
September 4, 2019.
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