Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Role of Informal Caregivers for Frail Elders in Disasters

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Disaster Preparedness for Seniors

  • 886 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter is designed to introduce disaster management professionals to informal caregivers who provide support for frail elders living in community settings. Informal, unpaid, caregivers—spouses, adult children, siblings, and other non-kin companions—are the persons who are likely to find themselves executing an evacuation plan or a “shelter in place” scenario in a disaster. Informal caregivers are an important but poorly characterized component of long-term supports and services for vulnerable frail elders in the United States. In this chapter, we summarize what is known about informal, unpaid caregivers in the context of a disaster. This knowledge is useful for crafting caregiver training and support that can have positive effect in disaster situations. We believe that pre-disaster preparedness training can be significantly improved by (1) increasing knowledge about informal caregivers and (2) considering ways to mobilize and support informal caregivers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Arno PS, Levine C, Memmott MM. The economic value of informal caregiving. Health Aff. 1999;18:182–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Talley RC, Crews JE. ‘Framing the public health of caregiving’: Talley and Crew respond. Am J Public Health. 2007;97(2):224–8.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Federal Interagency on Aging-related statistics. Declared disasters by year or State. 2010. www.fema.gov/news/disaster_totals_annual.fema

  4. Banks P, Cogan N, Riddell S, Deeley S, Hill M, Tisdall K. Does the covert nature of caring prohibit the development of effective services for young carers? Br J Guid Couns. 2002;30(3):229–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Becker S. Global perspectives on children’s unpaid caregiving in the family: research and policy on ‘Young Carers’ in the UK, Australia, the USA and Sub-Saharan Africa. Global Soc Policy. 2007;7(1):23–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Dellmann-Jenkins M, Blankemeyer M, Pinkard O. Young adult children and grandchildren in primary caregiver roles to older relatives and their service needs. Fam Relation. 2000;49(2):10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Warren J. Young Carers: conventional or exaggerated levels of involvement in domestic and caring tasks? Child Soc. 2007;21(2):136–46.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Hamill SB. Caring for grandparents with Alzheimer’s disease: help from the “forgotten” generation. J Fam Issues. 2012;33(9):1195–217.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Aldridge J. All work and no play? Understanding the needs of children with caring responsibilities. Child Soc. 2008;22:12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Alridge J, Becker S. Children as carers: the impact of parental illness and disability on children’s caring roles. J Fam Ther. 1999;21:18.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Earley L, Cushway D, Cassidy T. Children’s perceptions and experiences of care giving: a focus group study. Couns Psychol Q. 2007;20(1):69–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Coon DW. Exploring interventions for LGBT caregivers. J Gay Lesbian Soc Serv. 2007;18(3–4):109–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Janevic MR, Connell CM. Racial, ethnic, and cultural differences in the dementia caregiving experience: recent findings. Gerontologist. 2001;41(3):14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Gelman CR. “La Lucha”: the experiences of Latino family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Clin Gerontol. 2010;33(3):181–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Goodhead A, McDonald J. Informal Careguvers Kuteratyre Review. New Zealand: Health Services Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington; 2007.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Karlin NJ, Weil J, Gould J. Comparisons between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White informal caregivers. SAGE Open. 2012;2(4):1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Pinquart M, Sörensen S. Associations of stressors and uplifts of caregiving with caregiver burden and depressive mood: a meta-analysis. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2003;58(2):P112–28.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Belle SH, Burgio L, Burns R, Coons D, Czaja SJ, Gallagher-Thompson D, et al. Enhancing the quality of life of dementia caregivers from different ethnic or racial groups: a randomized controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2006;145(10):727–38.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Cicchetti D. Resilience under conditions of extreme stress: a multilevel perspective. World Psychiatry. 2010;9(3):145–54.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Adams V, Kaufman SR, van Hattum T, Moody S. Aging disaster: mortality, vulnerability, and long-term recovery among Katrina survivors. Med Anthropol. 2011;30(3):247–70.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Band-Winterstein TKC. We take care of the older person, who takes care of us? J Appl Gerontol. 2010;29:772.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Rothman M, Brown LM. The vulnerable geriatric casualty: medical needs of frail older adults during disasters. Generations. 2007–2008;31(4):16.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Jia Z, Tian W, Liu W, Cao Y, Yan J, Shun Z. Are the elderly more vulnerable to psychological impact of natural disaster? A population-based survey of adult survivors of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. BMC Public Health. 2010;10:172.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Lamond AJ, Depp CA, Allison M, et al. Measurement and predictors of resilience among community-dwelling older women. J Psychiatr Res. 2008;43(2):148–54.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Ward MM. Sense of control and sociodemographic differences in self-reported health in older adults. Qual Life Res. 2012;21(9):1509–18.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Windle G, Markland DA, Woods RT. Examination of a theoretical model of psychological resilience in older age. Aging Ment Health. 2008;12(3):285–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Golden J, Conroy RM, Lawlor BA. Social support network structure in older people: underlying dimensions and association with psychological and physical health. Psychol Health Med. 2009;14(3):280–90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Netuveli G, Wiggins RD, Montgomery SM, Hildon Z, Blane D. Mental health and resilience at older ages: bouncing back after adversity in the British Household Panel Survey. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2008;62(11):987–91.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Lavretsky H. Resilience, stress, and mood disorders in old age. Annu Rev Gerontol Geriatr. 2012;32(1):49–72. Chapter 3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Black K, Lobo M. A conceptual review of family resilience factors. J Fam Nurs. 2008;14(1):33–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Patterson JM. Understanding family resilience. J Clin Psychol. 2002;58(3):233–46.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Roberto KA, Henderson TL, Kamo Y, McCann BR. Challenges to older women’s sense of self in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Health Care Women Int. 2010;31(11):981–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Boon HJ, Cottrell A, King D, Stevenson RB, Millar J. Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory for modelling community resilience to natural disasters. Nat Hazards. 2011;60(2):381–408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Ungar M. Community resilience for youth and families: facilitative physical and social capital in contexts of adversity. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2011;33(9):1742–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Ungar M. Researching and theorizing resilience across cultures and contexts. Prev Med. 2012;55(5):387–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Brunie A. Household awareness of what to do in a disaster: a social capital approach. Int J Mass Emerg Disasters. 2010;28(1):28.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Norris FH, Stevens SP, Pfefferbaum B, Wyche KF, Pfefferbaum RL. Community resilience as a metaphor, theory, set of capacities, and strategy for disaster readiness. Am J Community Psychol. 2008;41(1–2):127–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Brown LM, Hyer K, Polivka-West L. A comparative study of laws, rules, codes and other influences on nursing homes’ disaster preparedness in the Gulf Coast States. Behav Sci Law. 2007;25(5):22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Hyer K, Brown LM, Christensen J, Thomas KS. Weathering the storm: challenges to nurses providing care to nursing home residents during hurricanes. Appl Nurs Res. 2009;22(4):e9–14.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Statistics Older Americans 2012: key indicators of well-being. Government Printing Office, Hyattsville, MD; 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Hyer K, Brown LM. Disaster preparedness, response, and recovery Public Health for an Aging Society. In: Prohaska TR, Anderson LA, Binstock RH, editors. Public Health for an Aging Society. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press; 2012. p. 299–326.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Abrahms S. An evacuation plan at your parent’s nursing home: 9 questions to ask. 2013. http://blog.aarp.org/2013/04/19/nursing-home-evacuation-plan-caring-for-older-parents-caregiving. Accessed 30 Nov 30 2013.

  43. Abrahms S. A caregiver’s natural disaster prep list. 2012. http://blog.aarp.org/2012/05/10/sally-abrahms-caregivers-hurricane-prepare-list. Accessed 10 May.

  44. Johnson AHJ, McBride MR, Palmisano BR, Perweiler EA, Roush RE, Sanders M, Sherman A, Tumosa N, Weiss J. Bioterrorism and emergency preparedness in aging (BTEPA) HRSA funded GEC Collaboration for Curricula and Training. Gerontol Geriatr Educ. 2006;26(4):63–86.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Powell S, Plouffe L, Gorr P. When ageing and disasters collide: lessons from 16 international case studies. Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2009;134(3–4):202–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Georgia, 310 East Campus Road, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Jennifer Elkins Ph.D., M.S.S.W.

  2. College of Public Health, Institute of Gerontology, University of Georgia, 255 E. Hancock, Athens, GA, 30602-5775, USA

    Jennifer Holt Ph.D. & Toni P. Miles M.D., Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Jennifer Elkins Ph.D., M.S.S.W.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jennifer Holt Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Toni P. Miles M.D., Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Toni P. Miles M.D., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

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

    Charles A. Cefalu

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Elkins, J., Holt, J., Miles, T.P. (2014). The Role of Informal Caregivers for Frail Elders in Disasters. In: Cefalu, C. (eds) Disaster Preparedness for Seniors. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0665-9_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0665-9_8

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-0664-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0665-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation