Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T21:58:30.970Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Delivering Flexible Education and Training to Health Professionals: Caring for Older Adults in Disasters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2016

Brian A. Altman
Affiliation:
The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc, Bethesda, Maryland
Kelly H. Gulley*
Affiliation:
The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc, Bethesda, Maryland
Carlo Rossi
Affiliation:
Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Canadian Medical Service, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Kandra Strauss-Riggs
Affiliation:
The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc, Bethesda, Maryland
Kenneth Schor
Affiliation:
National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Rockville, Maryland
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Kelly Gulley, MPH, Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc, National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 1000, Rockville, MD 20815 (e-mail: [email protected]).

Abstract

The National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health (NCDMPH), in collaboration with over 20 subject matter experts, created a competency-based curriculum titled Caring for Older Adults in Disasters: A Curriculum for Health Professionals. Educators and trainers of health professionals are the target audience for this curriculum. The curriculum was designed to provide breadth of content yet flexibility for trainers to tailor lessons, or select particular lessons, for the needs of their learners and organizations. The curriculum covers conditions present in the older adult population that may affect their disaster preparedness, response, and recovery; issues related to specific types of disasters; considerations for the care of older adults throughout the disaster cycle; topics related to specific settings in which older adults receive care; and ethical and legal considerations. An excerpt of the final capstone lesson is included. These capstone activities can be used in conjunction with the curriculum or as part of stand-alone preparedness training. This article describes the development process, elements of each lesson, the content covered, and options for use of the curriculum in education and training for health professionals. The curriculum is freely available online at the NCDMPH website at http://ncdmph.usuhs.edu (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:633–637).

Type
Responder Tools
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Administration on Aging (AoA): Aging Statistics. Administration for Community Living website. http://www.aoa.acl.gov/Aging_Statistics/index.aspx. Accessed December 28, 2015.Google Scholar
2. Jenkins, JL, Levy, M, Rutkow, L, et al. Variables associated with effects on morbidity in older adults following disasters. PLoS Currents. 2014 Dec 5:6. doi:10.1371/currents.dis.0fe970aa16d51cde6a962b7a732e494a.Google Scholar
3. Ortman, JM, Velkoff, VA, Hogan, H. An Aging Nation: The Older Population in the United States Population Estimates and Projections Current Population Reports. https://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/p25-1140.pdf. Published May 2014. Accessed April 5, 2016.Google Scholar
4. Rapid assessment of the needs and health status of older adults after Hurricane Charley--Charlotte, DeSoto, and Hardee Counties, Florida, August 27-31, 2004. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2004;53(36):837-840. PubMed PMID:15371964.Google Scholar
5. Assessment of health-related needs after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita--Orleans and Jefferson Parishes, New Orleans area, Louisiana, October 17-22, 2005. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2006;55(2):38-41. PubMed PMID:16424857.Google Scholar
6. Evans, J. Mapping the vulnerability of older persons to disasters. Int J Older People Nurs. 2010;5(1):63-70. PubMed PMID:20925759.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7. Fernandez, LS, Byard, D, Lin, CC, et al. Frail elderly as disaster victims: emergency management strategies. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2002;17(2):67-74. PubMed PMID:12500729.Google Scholar
8. Gibson, MJ. We Can Do Better: Lessons Learned for Protecting Older Persons in Disasters. AARP website. http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/livable-communities/info-2006/better.html. Published May 2006. Accessed January 4, 2014.Google Scholar
9. Somes, J, Stephens, Donatelli N. Disaster planning considerations involving the geriatric patient: part I. J Emerg Nurs. 2012;38(5):479-481. PubMed PMID:22819373.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10. Trust for America’s Health. Ready or Not? Protecting the Public’s Health From Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism. http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/TFAH2012ReadyorNot10.pdf. Published December 2012. Accessed December 10, 2013.Google Scholar
11. Education & Training: Meeting the Needs of Older Adults. Eldercare Workforce Alliance website. http://www.eldercareworkforce.org/research/issue-briefs/research:education-and-training/. Originally published on February 16, 2011. Accessed December 28, 2015.Google Scholar
12. Institute of Medicine. Committee on the Future Health Care Workforce for Older Americans. Retooling for an aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce. National Academies Press. http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/reports/2008/retooling-for-an-aging-america-building-the-health-care-workforce.aspx. Published April 11, 2008. Accessed April 5, 2016.Google Scholar
13. Johnson, HL, McBee, EC, Ling, CG. Curriculum Recommendations for Disaster Health Professionals: The Geriatric Population. https://ncdmph.usuhs.edu/Documents/GeriatricCurrRec-201407.pdf. Published August 2014. Accessed July 1, 2015.Google Scholar
14. Walsh, L, Subbarao, I, Gebbie, K, et al. Core competencies for disaster medicine and public health. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2012;6(1):44-52. doi: 10.1001/dmp.2012.4.Google Scholar