A qualitative study of household emergency preparedness of the elderly and the medically frail living in coastal urban environments

OF THE DISSERTATION A Qualitative Study Of Household Emergency Preparedness Of The Elderly And The Medically Frail Living In Coastal Urban Environments By Tara N. Heagele Dissertation Director: Karen D’Alonzo, PhD, RN, APN-c, FAAN Rationale for Study: As more chronically ill people are living in the community and disasters are occurring frequently, the elderly and the medically frail vulnerable populations are experiencing significantly more disaster-related morbidity and mortality than the rest of the population. A failure to adequately address these vulnerabilities has been shown to have negative effects on both the response to the disaster and the community as a whole. The purpose of this research was to understand how older and/or medically frail adults have experienced disaster and how this experience impacts what they do now to prepare for disaster. A second purpose of the study was the generation of theory regarding the process through which community members prepare for disasters. Method: This study employed a qualitative descriptive methodology, Situational Analysis, to explore the social processes of disaster preparedness in older and/or medically frail adults. Results: Thirty-three elderly and/or medically frail participants described their experiences with disaster, how those experiences impacted the way they prepared for subsequent disasters, and their current state of household emergency