Home
Resource
A qualitative study of household emergency preparedness of the elderly and the medically frail living in coastal urban environments
PDF
PDF format is widely accepted and good for printing.
Plug-in required
PDF-1(3.63 MB)
Citation & Export
View Usage Statistics
Staff View

Citation & Export
Hide

Simple citation

Heagele, Tara N.. A qualitative study of household emergency preparedness of the elderly and the medically frail living in coastal urban environments. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3TB1B3V

Export

Click here for information about Citation Management Tools at Rutgers.

Statistics
Hide

Description

TitleA qualitative study of household emergency preparedness of the elderly and the medically frail living in coastal urban environments
NameHeagele, Tara N. (author); D'Alonzo, Karen (chair); Lindgren, Teri (internal member); Chase, Sabrina (internal member); Lindell, Michael (outside member); Rutgers University; Graduate School - Newark
Date Created2018
Other Date2018-01 (degree)
SubjectNursing, Emergency management
Extent1 online resource (xii, 216 p. : ill.)
DescriptionRationale for Study: As more chronically ill people are living in the community and disasters are occurring frequently, the elderly and the medically frail vulnerable populations are experiencing significantly more disaster-related morbidity and mortality than the rest of the population. A failure to adequately address these vulnerabilities has been shown to have negative effects on both the response to the disaster and the community as a whole. The purpose of this research was to understand how older and/or medically frail adults have experienced disaster and how this experience impacts what they do now to prepare for disaster. A second purpose of the study was the generation of theory regarding the process through which community members prepare for disasters. Method: This study employed a qualitative descriptive methodology, Situational Analysis, to explore the social processes of disaster preparedness in older and/or medically frail adults. Results: Thirty-three elderly and/or medically frail participants described their experiences with disaster, how those experiences impacted the way they prepared for subsequent disasters, and their current state of household emergency preparedness. The core category was “Experience is the Best Teacher.” Based on the findings, it was theorized that coastal urban elderly and medically frail community members are generally considered unprepared for disaster. Their lack of preparedness is due in large part to a lack of education on how best to prepare. Once educated, motivation for self-responsibility of household emergency preparedness can be expected. However, community interventions like distributing disaster supply kits and offering evacuation assistance help overcome their situational impediments to preparedness and provide the best chance for these vulnerable community members to survive disasters without becoming ill or injured or experiencing a decline in their baseline functional status. If elderly and medically frail community members are incidentally prepared, it is largely due to their past experience with disaster or their professional experience. Conclusion: The results from this study could inform emergency plans and policy efforts to better meet the needs of elderly and medically frail community members during disaster. This study should motivate nurses to prepare themselves and their vulnerable community members prior to disaster as a prevention measure.
NotePh.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Noteby Tara N. Heagele
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
Persistent URLhttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3TB1B3V
Languageeng
CollectionGraduate School - Newark Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
Version 8.5.5
Rutgers University Libraries - Copyright ©2024