July 21, 1999

Psychosocial Issues for Older Adults in Disasters

William Oriol wrote this article in July 1999 concerning the health of Americans who have survived a disaster. Older Americans may nevertheless be especially hard hit by disasters arising from natural and human caused disasters. Their vulnerability may be caused by many factors, including: Physical or emotional frailty arising in the later years; Acute late-life feelings of personal loss intensified by disaster damage of property that is often of great nostalgic or economic importance; and Accidents of geography that intensify disaster's impact on concentrations of older persons. The prime thrust of this article is to illuminate psychological or emotional difficulties that may arise within older populations during and after disasters.