A study in the Journal of Applied Gerontology examines whether exposure to compound disasters — multiple overlapping hazard events within a single year — is associated with emergency preparedness among older adults, and whether caregiving responsibility modifies that relationship. Preparedness determinants in aging populations remain underexamined despite this group's disproportionate vulnerability during disaster events. Repeated, unbuffered environmental disruption in later life carries consequences for physiological resilience well beyond the acute event itself.
Key Points
- Compound disaster exposure examined as determinant of older adult preparedness
- Caregiving responsibility analyzed as amplifying factor in preparedness outcomes
- Older adults face disproportionate disaster vulnerability despite limited research attention
Longevity Analysis
Repeated environmental disruption operates as a sustained load on stress regulation, sleep architecture, medication continuity, and hydration — the maintenance behaviors that hold the aging body's reserves in place. Caregiving responsibility adds a second demand stream, redirecting attention and resources away from one's own preparation at precisely the moment reserve capacity matters most. Identifying and reducing these compounding pressures, then building preparation into consistent practice rather than reactive response, protects the physiological margin that determines how well an older adult recovers from any single event.
Original published by SAGE Research on Aging, by Yanjun Dong, Kun Wang, Victoria M. Rizzo, Min Zhang1School of Social Welfare, College of Integrated Health Sciences, 1084University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA2Albany Guardian Society, Albany, NY, USA3Department of Social Work, College of Arts and Sciences, 200297University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA4Public Management, Krieger School of Arts and Science, 96901John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.