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Disasters and the Frail Elderly

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Disaster Preparedness for Seniors

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Abstract

Disasters are characterized as random natural occurrences and as acute events affecting societies and individuals in unpredictable ways. In all disasters, there are components that are managed by humans that help determine the ability and capacity of communities and individuals to absorb the impact from any disasters. Frail older adults are particularly sensitive to changes in the interplay of these resources. This chapter presents the concept of the frail older adult and discusses the unique risks that arise during catastrophic events. General guidelines that should underlie all decision-making for disaster planning are presented.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, SL-16, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Lumie Kawasaki M.D.

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  1. Lumie Kawasaki M.D.
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Correspondence to Lumie Kawasaki M.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

    Charles A. Cefalu

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Kawasaki, L. (2014). Disasters and the Frail Elderly. In: Cefalu, C. (eds) Disaster Preparedness for Seniors. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0665-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0665-9_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-0664-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0665-9

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