Response Efficacy and Action to Prepare for Disasters With Different Lead Time: Age Differences

Abstract This study investigated how disaster types, namely those with short and longer warning lead time, contextualized individuals’ preparatory action, especially as associated with their response efficacy and age. The working sample included 1,467 respondents from the 2017 U.S. National Household Survey. Logistic regressions showed that individuals with higher levels of response efficacy were more likely to prepare after learning information about how to prepare. Respondents in areas prone to short lead-time disasters were less likely to prepare than those in longer lead-time disasters areas. Response efficacy was more important for action taking for short lead-time disasters, which was observed only among older adults when older and younger adults were examined separately. These findings revealed the impacts of disaster types and response efficacy on disaster preparedness and older adults’ unique vulnerability and resilience, which could guide policymaking and interventions to promote national disaster preparedness tailored to regional peculiarities.

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The hidden harms of using alcohol for pain relief in older adults

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610214001513 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 (11) ◽

pp. 1929-1930 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kim-Michelle Gilson ◽

Christina Bryant ◽

Fiona Judd

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Age Groups ◽

Household Survey ◽

Population Based ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Fatty Tissue ◽

National Household Survey ◽

Increased Sensitivity ◽

Age Range

Estimates from population-based studies indicate that older adults drink more frequently than younger age groups. Data from the 2010 Australian national household survey reported that daily drinking was evident in 13.3% of older adults aged 60–69 years and in 14.8% of older adults aged 70+ years. These findings are compared to daily drinking rates reported by 10.1% of adults aged 50–59 years and 7.5% in the 40–49 years age range (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011). The study of alcohol consumption in older adults is particularly important because of their increased sensitivity to alcohol-related harms. With age, the body's ability to process alcohol decreases as a result of physiological changes, such as decreases in body mass and higher levels of fatty tissue, leading to a higher blood alcohol concentration for a given dose compared with younger adults (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1998). This greater vulnerability to the effects of alcohol necessitates a stronger understanding of drinking practices in older adults.

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Gender-Related Differences in Psychoactive Drug Use among Older Adults

Journal of Drug Issues ◽

10.1177/002204268901900203 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 207-219 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Cynthia Robbins ◽

Richard R. Clayton

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Drug Use ◽

Older Women ◽

Illicit Drugs ◽

Hispanic Women ◽

Household Survey ◽

Psychosocial Problems ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Adult Men ◽

National Household Survey

Age, sex and ethnic differences in past year medical and non-medical use of tranquilizers, sedatives, stimulants, and analgesics are explored in the 1982 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). In general women are more likely to report past year medical use than are men; whites are more likely to report past year medical use than are blacks or Hispanics; and older adults are more likely to report past year medical use than are younger adults. These differences are not large, however, and several notable exceptions occur. Hispanic women are especially likely to report past year use of prescription analgesics. Women age 45 to 64 report greater prescription psychoactive use than do those age 65 or older. In the 65 and older age group, men are more likely than women to report past year medical use of sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants. Additional analyses of non-medical pill use and use of alcohol and illicit drugs suggest that young adult men and women, rather than older women, are most at risk for adverse drug interactions, and young adults in the 1985 NHSDA are far more likely than older adults to report psychosocial problems resulting from alcohol or drug use.

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Disaster Preparedness and Coping Among Older Adults: Empirical Analysis and Virtual Reality Platform Development

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.1356 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 351-351

Author(s):

Zhen Cong

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Age Differences ◽

Emergency Preparedness ◽

Disaster Preparedness ◽

Disaster Response ◽

Intergenerational Relationships ◽

Household Survey ◽

Different Types ◽

And Coping

Abstract This symposium included 4 studies that use national and regional data to examine older adults’ disaster preparedness and coping. The first study examined age differences in preparedness for the continuation of COVID-19 with a sample of 443 residents in Dallas, TX. The findings highlight older adults’ resilience and special needs for different types of support during the pandemic. The second study examined the association of having COVID-19 and intergenerational relationships using the COVID-19 module of the Health and Retirement Study with a sample of 3266 respondents. Using a national sample of 1,467 respondents from the 2017 U.S. National Household Survey, the third study examined age differences relationships among the type of disasters (i.e., disasters with different lead-time), response efficacy, and disaster preparedness. The findings highlighted older adults’ unique vulnerability and resilience in different types of disasters. The fourth study discussed a pilot virtual reality platform under development to assist older adults to develop tailored household emergency preparedness plans and practice those plans with simulated extreme weather conditions and warnings for older adults to practice disaster response and develop relevant knowledge and skills as well as test and revise their emergency preparedness plans. Overall, this symposium emphasizes the uniqueness of older adults’ needs, vulnerability, and resilience to disasters.

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