Vulnerability Of Elderly People Research Articles

Vulnerability of elderly people during climate-induced disasters in Sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review

Climate-induced disasters present significant challenges to vulnerable populations, especially elderly individuals with disabilities who face unique difficulties in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from such catastrophic events. Despite growing concerns about the impact of climate-induced disasters in sub-Saharan Africa, there is a notable lack of information regarding the specific vulnerabilities experienced by elderly people with disabilities in this region. This study aims to address this gap by identifying and synthesizing the existing literature on the subject. Researchers conducted a scoping review, selecting articles from regional (Sabinet African Journals, Science Direct) and global databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and ProQuest) using search strategies with Boolean operators, truncations, and MeSH terms. The review included primary studies (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods) published between 2013 and 2023 that met specified inclusion and exclusion criteria, with a focus on assessing the quality of the included studies. The findings revealed that elderly people in sub-Saharan Africa face significant physical, cognitive, and socio-economic challenges due to limited access to resources, inadequate infrastructure, and social exclusion. These challenges are amplified in the sub-Saharan context, highlighting a critical gap in inclusive risk reduction strategies during disasters. The review emphasizes an urgent need for targeted research and the development of community-based intervention programmes to improve the resilience and wellbeing of elderly individuals with disabilities facing climate-induced disasters. This study not only mapped the existing literature but also underscored the scarcity of research in the field of climate-induced disasters, with only six articles focusing on the elderly. The researchers recommend the development of more inclusive disaster risk reduction strategies and policies.

Alleviating Disaster Vulnerability and Improving Resilience of the Elderly

When disasters occur, older people are more at risk than other age groups. This is because physical fitness, hearing, and vision deteriorate due to aging, and physical movement is not easy. Nevertheless, there are insufficient studies on accurate identification of the elderly who have disaster-safety vulnerabilities, and the recognition and behavior of the disaster risks of the elderly. In the age of aging, it is necessary to prepare systematic measures against disaster vulnerability and to promote resilience for the elderly. And it is urgent to implement practical disaster safety policies for the elderly as disaster-vulnerable people. The purpose of this study is to analyze the disaster vulnerability of elderly people and to improve their resilience in the age of aging. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, we examine the current status of the elderly people's disaster vulnerability, including the current status of the elderly and their recognition of disaster safety. This paper suggests: disaster vulnerability management that reflects the disaster vulnerability and desire of the elderly, legal and institutional support for enhancing the resilience of disaster recovery of the elderly, the development, education, and training with disaster-response manuals for the elderly.

Indexes of Caring for Elderly in Earthquakes According to the Iranian Experience: A Qualitative Study.

The elderly are especially susceptible to death and injury in disasters. This study aimed to identify indexes of caring for elderly people in an earthquake according to the Iranian experience. This qualitative study was conducted during 2014-2016 by use of the content analysis technique. Data were collected through individual deep interviews with the elderly and people with experience providing services to the elderly during earthquakes in an urban area of Iran. The data were analyzed by use of the Graneheim and Lundman method. Seven categories emerged: vulnerability of elderly people, physiological indexes, psychological indexes, economic indexes, religious and spiritual indexes, health indexes, and security indexes. There were 3 uncategorized issues: "There is no specific protocol for the elderly," "The need to design plans based on age care," and "Aid organizations." Implementing a comprehensive plan would not only save lives but decrease suffering and enable effective use of available resources. Due to the crucial role of the prehospital care system in disasters, there is a need for further investigation based on the results of this study to develop strategies for improving the system. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:493-501).

Kakovost življenja starostnikov z depresijo v domskem varstvu

Uvod: Starostno obdobje spremljajo številne spremembe, ki povečajo starostnikovo ranljivost in hkrati oblikujejo značilne simptome depresije ter vplivajo na kakovost življenja. Namen raziskave je ugotoviti razlike v kakovosti življenja, vključevanju v družabne aktivnosti in samooceni zdravja starostnikov z depresijo in starostnikov brez depresije.
 Metode: Raziskava je temeljila na kvantitativni metodologiji. Vključenih je bilo 138 oseb, od tega 69 oseb z depresivno motnjo in 69 oseb brez depresivne motnje. Podatki so bili pridobljeni z osebnim anketiranjem starostnikov, ki so bili stanovalci izbranih domov za starejše občane v Pomurju. Uporabljen je bil vprašalnik EuroQol-5D (Euro Quality of life – 5 Dimension), zanesljivost je bila dobra (r = 0,86). Raziskava je potekala oktobra 2013. Pridobljeni podatki so bili obdelani v statističnem programu IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 19.0. Za testiranje hipotez je bil uporabljen test hi-kvadrat.
 Rezultati: Rezultati pokažejo, da je kakovost življenja depresivnih anketirancev značilno slabša (p < 0,001) kot kakovost življenja anketirancev brez depresije. Anketiranci z depresijo se značilno manj (p < 0,005) vključujejo v družabne aktivnosti. Prav tako je samoocena zdravja anketirancev z depresijo, prikazana z vizualno analogno lestvico, značilno slabša (p < 0,001).
 Diskusija in zaključek: Depresija povzroča hudo poslabšanje kakovosti življenja obolelih oseb. Starostniki z depresijo, ki bivajo v domskem varstvu, pogosteje opuščajo aktivnosti, za katere bi bili še zmožni, in se manj vključujejo v družabne aktivnosti. Več pozornosti je potrebno nameniti za ohranjanje obstoječih sposobnosti starostnikov in tako ohraniti posameznikov občutek lastne učinkovitosti in zadovoljstva.

European fundamental rights, biomedical research and vulnerability of elderly people

European fundamental rights, biomedical research and vulnerability of elderly people

Self-poisoning by the older person: a review

Suicide is a major health issue worldwide and is among the top ten causes of death in many countries. Much research, media attention and public health initiatives are focused on reducing the suicide rate among adolescents and young adults. In many countries, however, it is the elderly population with the greatest number of suicides, the majority of which die by drug overdose. This is commonly explained by an increased suicidal intent among older people due to co-morbidity and social isolation. The physical vulnerability of elderly people to potential toxins however is also likely to play an important role. This review examines the epidemiology of elderly suicide, considers commonly implicated drugs, and discusses associated risk factors in this complex and multifactorial problem.

Residential Care for Elderly People: The Correlates of Quality

ABSTRACTGiven the vulnerability of elderly people living in long-term hospitals and in other forms of institutional provision, it is essential that the quality of their care is as high as possible. This observation, moreover, has widespread relevance irrespective of variations in the structure of health and social care provision in different countries. In pursuit of this objective the newly established ‘arm's length’ inspection units in Britain will be responsible for setting and also safeguarding standards in homes. The article, based on research commissioned by the Social Services Inspectorate, uses a global measure of quality derived from the inspection of residential care homes, examines the correlates of this measure in a sample of local authority and independent homes in Britain and discusses the implications of the findings for policy and further research.