Issues — Emergencies and Disasters
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ShareHow to Be Prepared for Almost Anything
To survive earthquakes, floods and other disasters, you need a plan, an emergency kit and lots of information. The website called Ready, developed by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), provides advice on how to survive all sorts of catastrophes.
Japan’s Elders Offer to Risk Radiation
Hannah Beech, Time magazine’s China bureau chief, writes that in the wake of Japan’s devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami, hundreds of retired engineers and other professionals volunteered to repair the Fukushima nuclear plant to save younger workers from exposure to radiation.
Tips on Surviving the Aftermath of a Disaster
In this Huffington Post blog, journalist Laura Schocker tells how to prepare for evacuation or for a disaster’s aftermath. She includes links to advice about handling emergencies for those with specific chronic conditions and to a source of information on nearby pharmacies that are open.
How to Prepare Older People for Emergencies
Social work administrator Shannon Martin offers pointers on how to help older relatives and friends prepare for hurricane season and other potential disasters. This blog at the eCare Diary website also links to checklists, advice on how to get medications during emergencies and other vital information.
What We Learned from Hurricane Katrina
Since Hurricane Katrina, writes social worker Jenny Campbell, there have been both setbacks and progress in efforts to protect older people during disasters. Campbell, who served as director of the Hurricane Fund for the Elderly, wrote this article for Aging Today.
Katrina’s Victims: Mostly Older Women
When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, most of those who died were older people, especially women, overlooked by rescuers and later by the media, says Margaret M. Gullette, a resident scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center, Brandeis University, in this 2005 commentary for Women’s eNews.
A Population at Risk after 9/11
Most older New Yorkers living near the World Trade Center held up well after 9/11, but some who were frail did not, says social worker Myrna I. Lewis, PhD, in this transcript of a 2003 talk at a Center for Biosecurity meeting. Lewis worked with 9/11 survivors. She coauthored two books with her husband, renowned gerontologist Robert N. Butler, MD.
What to Do in an Emergency
Writing in Well, her New York Times blog, Tara Parker-Pope describes some simple steps you can take now that could save your life in a fire or another emergency.
Our Mission
The Silver Century Foundation promotes a positive view of aging. The Foundation challenges entrenched and harmful stereotypes, encourages dialogue between generations, advocates planning for the second half of life, and raises awareness to educate and inspire everyone to live long, healthy, empowered lives.
"It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment; in these qualities old age is usually not poorer, but is even richer."
Cicero (106-43 BC)