263389 Emergency Preparedness In the Older Adult Population

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Deanna Jackson-Keeble, RN, MSN/MPH, CNS , Department of Public Health, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA
Evelyn Price, RN, MSN/MPH, CNS , Department of Public Health, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA
Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 bring to mind horrific disaster scenes and the need for overall emergency preparedness (EP). Yet according to the recent natural emergency preparedness poll, nearly 90% of the general population is not adequately prepared. According to California's Office of Emergency Services, the elderly population is the most vulnerable for morbidity and mortality during and after an emergency.

Project Roland was a project at Willowbrook Senior Center (WSC) conducted by senior master nursing students at California State University Long Beach who are also public health nurses for Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. After a community meeting involving various community based organizations, it was determined that there was a great need for emergency preparedness at the senior centers throughout Los Angeles County, particularly in the lower economic sections of the county. As a result, an assessment survey of the staff and senior participants at WSC was conducted and revealed a heightened state of readiness to act on improving emergency preparedness. A goal of Project Roland was to promote emergency preparedness for facility evacuation in case of a severe natural or terrorist related emergency. In order to reach this goal, the master students collaborated with local professional rescuers to develop effective evacuation strategies at WSC. Feedback from the pre-evacuation drill revealed the need for a tracking system and semi-annual fire drills.

Measurable Objective:

Compare pre/post intervention evacuation drill Discuss the importance of a tracking system during an emergency List steps in strategic planning for an evacuation drill

Learning Areas:
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs

Learning Objectives:
Compare pre/post evacuation drill interventions Discuss the importance of a tracking system during an emergency List steps in stragetic planning for an evacuation drill

Keywords: Aging, Community-Based Partnership

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Along with my collegue, I was one of the participants at the community meeting, the meetings with the director of Willowbrook Senior Center (WSC), the meetings with the fire department, the meetings with the Brotherhood Crusade/Sentinal Newspaper, so I am well aware of the needs of WSC and how to best reach their goal of assisting them with a tracking system for evacuation and conducting smi-annual fire drills.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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