Disasters and other emergencies can happen at anytime, anywhere, and vary in magnitude. Older adults and people with disabilities often have unique needs during a crisis. For example, approximately half of those over age 65 have two or more chronic health problems (such as heart disease, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s disease) that can increase a person’s vulnerability during periods of time without food, water, shelter, and adequate rest. People with disabilities also may have underlying health conditions that increase their risks during a crisis or may require services and supports that are often scarce during a crisis event.
That’s why planning to meet the needs of older adults and people with disabilities – both at the community level and for each individual – is so important.
We’ve compiled some resources and tools to help! You can browse by topic below, or visit Ready.gov to find a wide variety of resources for preparedness planning, such as several social media toolkits, including one for National Preparedness Month. The HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response also has information and resources that may be useful.
Resources for Weather and Natural Disasters
During a weather incident or natural disaster, be sure to follow local news and weather reports, as well as state and local government guidance. Below are some resources for planning and responding to some of the most commonly occurring emergencies.
Safety During Emergencies
Maintaining safety during emergency situations can be particularly challenging for older adults and people with disabilities. Here are some resources for considering emergency safety issues and actions that can be taken.
Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults and People with Disabilities
Each person has a responsibility to prepare for potential crisis and make a plan for how to respond. Providers of long-term services and supports must train staff in all emergency actions (evacuation, lock-down, and shelter-in-place). Community leaders and first-responders must be prepared to support the health and safety needs of older adults and people with disabilities, engage these populations in the planning process, and—to the maximum extent possible—provide services and supports in shelters.
The only way to ensure the well-being of older adults and people with disabilities during a crisis is through a “whole-community” approach to preparedness.
- Individual Preparedness: Best Practices and Resources
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Older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers can take steps to prepare for emergencies. The majority of older adults and people with disabilities live in the community. Many live alone and require long-term services and supports in order to reside in the community. Without the appropriate contingency plans, mobility limitations, the need for battery or electrically powered medical devices or durable medical equipment, or other functional considerations could negatively impact a person during a crisis. However, by examining each person’s unique needs, it is possible to create person-centered plans that accommodate these needs and maximize independence.
At a minimum, each individual (with the assistance of his or her caregiver, if necessary) should create a kit of emergency necessities. This should include medication, food, water, batteries or chargers, and any supplies that pets or service animals may need. It also should include the locations of the nearest shelter.
ACL has created two tools that also are an important part of any emergency kit. This Medical Information Card captures important information that could be needed by emergency responders and medical personnel during a crisis situation. The Communication Assistance Card is a tool to help first responders assist a person whose disability may make it difficult for them to communicate their needs.
Individuals should also talk to friends, family, and neighbors to create a support network that can help with communication, transportation, and essential care during periods of time when other community-based services and supports are not available.
General Resources:
- CDC Prepare Your Health -- Resources on health and well-being for emergency preparedness and response.
- Ready.gov: Pets and Animals -- Resources on planning for pets and animals during emergency events.
- Emergency Power Planning for People Who Use Electricity and Battery-Dependent Assistive Technology and Medical Devices
- FEMA Protective Actions Research -- Preparedness starts with you, but it takes the collaboration of the whole community to achieve a culture of preparedness. Review the information here and contribute to the preparedness research conversation by using the Contact ICPD buttons to share research, questions, and articles.
- SAMHSA's Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
- Rx Open helps patients find nearby open pharmacies in areas impacted by disaster.
Mobile Apps:
Resources for Caregivers:
- The Disaster Preparedness Guide for Caregivers (PDF) is a guide from FEMA that provides information on three essential steps that can help caregivers feel more prepared when disaster strikes: assessing needs, engaging a support network, and creating a plan.
Resources for People with Disabilities:
- The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) helps people with disabilities get connected to information about local community resources that support independent living: 888-677-1199.
- Ready.gov: Emergency Preparedness Resources for People with Disabilities
- CDC: Emergency Preparedness and Disability Inclusion
- CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities: Disability and Health Emergency Preparedness
- Emergency Preparedness Resources for People with Disabilities from the Research and Training Center on Independent Living
- The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies
- Emergency and Severe Weather Resources – Southeast ADA Center
- Red Cross: Disaster Safety for People with Disabilities
- Green Mountain Self-Advocates: Are You Prepared?
- Green Mountain Guide for Emergency Planning
Resources for Older Adults:
- Eldercare Locator connects callers to services for older adults and their families: 1-800-677-1116.
- Ready.gov: Emergency Preparedness Resources for Older Adults
- CDC Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults
- National Institute on Aging: 10 Emergency Kit Essentials
- National Institute on Aging: Disaster Preparedness and Recovery for Older Adults
- National Institute on Aging: Hot Weather Safety for Older Adults
- Red Cross: Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults
- CMS Emergency Preparedness Checklist for People Living in Long-Term Care Facilities
- CDC Prepare Your Health -- Resources on health and well-being for emergency preparedness and response.
- Preparedness for Community-Based Organizations and Providers of Healthcare Services: Best Practices and Resources
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Organizations that serve older adults and people with disabilities, home health providers, hospitals, nursing homes, and other providers of long-term care services and supports face unique obstacles during a crisis. They are frequently called on to provide leadership during and after a disaster. And they must make plans for the safety of their service recipients and staff during an emergency. Those plans must also include well-tested and accessible transportation procedures should an evacuation become necessary.
It is essential that all staff members know their roles and responsibilities in the service provider’s emergency response plans—especially during an evacuation. Emergency management plans should be reviewed and tested on a regular basis to build in redundancies, identify gaps, and develop strategies to mitigate any shortcomings.
Many types of providers are required to develop emergency response plan standards for licensure or certification. In addition to these requirements, collaboration with other agencies and participation in community-wide drills and exercises can further ensure that the service provider’s emergency plans are integrated with response efforts at all levels. It is also important to ensure that backup power generators are available and in working order, transportation plans are in place for evacuation, and that policies are in place for emergency communications with relatives of care recipients.
Emergency Planning Resources:
- Capacity-Building Toolkit for Including Aging and Disability Networks in Emergency Planning
- FEMA: Organizations Preparing for Emergency Needs (OPEN): Preparedness Training for Community-Based Organizations
- ASPR Fact Sheet: Durable Medical Equipment and Disasters
- CMS Disaster Response Toolkit for State Medicaid Agencies
- ASPR Planning for Power Outages: A Guide for Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities
- HHS OCR: HIPAA and Emergency Preparedness and Response
- HHS OCR Plain Language Checklist for Emergency Responders
- HHS Child and Adolescent Health Emergency Planning Toolkit for Children with Special Health Care Needs
- Ready.gov IT Disaster Recovery Plan
- AARP Disaster Resilience Tool Kit - A guide to reducing risks for older adults
- Capacity-Building Toolkit for Including Aging and Disability Networks in Emergency Planning
- Community Preparedness: Best Practices and Resources
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Older adults and people with disabilities are frequently overlooked during the disaster planning, response, and recovery process. Emergency management planning must integrate older adults and people with disabilities of all ages—and their caregivers—into every aspect of community emergency planning, response, and recovery. They should also be included in plan development through public meetings and efforts should be undertaken to hold meetings close to public transportation, at hours when public transportation is in service, and with virtual attendance options. Shelters should be surveyed and supplies should be obtained to ensure that they are accessible to people with disabilities and older adults.
In order to do this, it is critical that officials take a “whole-community” approach when considering the needs of older adults and people with disabilities during and after a crisis. Key players include hospitals, local providers of long-term services and supports, the Area Agencies on Aging, the Centers for Independent Living, Protection & Advocacy organizations, Developmental Disability Councils, Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs, and the Aging and Disability Resource Centers. These organizations should be included in the coordination, planning, and executing of joint exercises with state and local law enforcement and first responders to increase the likelihood that all community members will be considered and protected during an emergency.
Guides for Communities:
- Capacity-Building Toolkit for Including Aging and Disability Networks in Emergency Planning
- Organizations Preparing for Emergency Needs (OPEN): Preparedness Training for Community-Based Organizations
- Identifying Vulnerable Older Adults and Legal Options for Increasing Their Protection During All-Hazards Emergencies: A Cross-Sector Guide for States and Communities
- ADA Guide for Local Governments: Making Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs Accessible to People with Disabilities
- Ensuring Language Access and Effective Communication During Response and Recovery: A Checklist for Emergency Responders
- FEMA Guide to Planning Personal Assistance Services in General Population Shelters
- FEMA Guidance on Planning for Integration of Functional Needs Support Services in General Population Shelters
Training:
- Addressing the Needs of Older Adults in Disasters (HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response)
- Access and Functional Needs (HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response)
Other:
- HHS emPOWER provides de-identified data from Medicare claims data on people who are electric-dependent. This is a helpful tool to use in planning for and addressing power needs during an emergency.
- Capacity-Building Toolkit for Including Aging and Disability Networks in Emergency Planning
- ACL and FEMA Webinars for Older Adults, People with Disabilities, and Organizations
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View recordings and responses to participant questions for a four-part ACL/FEMA webinars focusing on Midwest communities, extreme heat, hurricanes, and island and coastal communities as well as an ACL webinar on extreme winter weather.
Materials for National Preparedness Month
To help educate older adults, people with disabilities, community-based organizations, and others about emergency preparation, ACL created some materials with tips on readiness. These are free to download and available to the public for use.
Social Media Graphics
Emergency Preparedness Poster
Medical information card
- This downloadable medical information card captures important information that could be needed by emergency responders and medical personnel during a crisis situation. Downloadable here.
Communication Assistance Card
- The Communication Assistance Card is a tool to help first responders assist a person whose disability may make it difficult for them to communicate their needs. Download here.