Giving Compass' Take:

• Research from the RAND Corporation highlights ways for stakeholders to increase disaster resilience among older adults.

• How can funders help support and expand existing programs that offer older adults disaster resilience? As climate change intensifies storms in years to come, how can funders prepare to expand programs to areas where they were not previously necessary? 

• Learn about the importance of building disaster resilience. 

Disaster resilience is the ability to recover from disasters and other problems and emerge stronger and better able to withstand future adverse events. One set of resources for improving the disaster resilience of older adults may already exist: efforts to promote aging in place, which is the ability to live in one's own home and community safely and independently, regardless of age. Research has shown that most older adults prefer to continue living in their homes rather than in institutional settings. Two kinds of organizations that currently promote aging in place are age-friendly communities (AFCs) and villages. Both seek to link older adults to useful programs and services, such as transportation and home repair, and keep them connected to others in their communities.

Current aging-in-place efforts can be harnessed to strengthen the disaster preparedness of older adults, and existing public health programs can be adapted to focus on the preparedness of older adults.

  • The work of public health departments and aging-in-place efforts is complementary. Improving the everyday engagement of older adults with family, friends, neighbors, and trusted institutions supports preparedness work by strengthening informal ties and building information networks. Likewise, the work of helping older adults become more resilient to disasters provides an opportunity for older adults to engage and learn skills that help them remain in their homes as they age.
  • In communities that lack aging-in-place efforts, public health departments can take the lead in filling this gap and also incorporate resilience-building activities into such efforts.

Read the full article about disaster resilience among older adults at RAND Corporation.