Gerontological Social Work Roles in Disaster Preparedness and Response

Abstract

While natural and manmade disasters have always existed, the increase in the frequency of disaster events, growing evidence that older adults are disproportionately negatively impacted by disasters, and a larger number of older adults comprising the world’s population have compelled us to write this letter to the editor to consider social work’s role in enhancing older adults’ well-being and safety in disaster events. While social workers in the U.S. are often not explicitly trained for disasters, their experience in assessing community strengths and needs, crisis response, and their ability to organize disparate groups has prepared them to contribute to municipal disaster planning. Social workers must consider the unique needs of older adults across the three crisis event phases: pre-disaster preparedness, post-disaster response, and long term disaster recovery.