"Motivation alone is not enough," said special issue editor Lindsay Peterson, Ph.D., of the University of South Florida School of Aging Studies. "Older adults need information that is timely, relevant and meets their needs and life circumstances. And they need better support from all the organizations with a role in disaster planning and recovery, from emergency management and health care providers to home care, respite and long-term care facilities."

The hidden psychological toll

That support extends beyond physical health and safety. Disasters can also disrupt the routines, relationships and caregiving networks older adults depend on, potentially creating psychological effects that continue long after the immediate emergency has passed.

"Disasters don't only threaten physical health. For older adults, they can cut people off from normal routines, relationships and the caregivers they rely on. Those losses can have lasting psychological effects," said editor Lisa M. Brown, Ph.D., ABPP, of the Department of Clinical Psychology at Palo Alto University. "When preparedness includes mental health, caregiver support and trauma-informed care, older adults and the staff and families who care for them will be better able to cope during a crisis and the recovery process."

Trauma-informed care, in plain terms, means care that recognizes how past traumatic experiences can shape a person's responses and needs, and adjusts support accordingly.

What needs to change

The findings highlight the need for disaster preparedness to extend across health care systems, long-term care facilities and communities. The authors call for several concrete steps:

• Integrating disaster planning into routine clinical care
• Strengthening staffing and preparedness capacity in assisted living communities and nursing homes
• Tailoring regulations to facilities' differing risks
• Expanding community-based programs—particularly in rural areas—that reflect the varied circumstances of older adults

Editor David M. Dosa, M.D., MPH, professor of medicine and chief of geriatrics at UMass Chan Medical School, said research can play an important role in helping communities prepare for future emergencies.

"Disasters are apolitical events," Dosa said. "We must do our very best as a society to understand how best to prepare for and respond to disasters. Articles like the ones in this special issue can help us do just that and must be encouraged."

Why it matters now

The special issue arrives as communities continue to face increasingly complex emergencies, including hurricanes, wildfires, floods and extreme heat events that pose heightened risks for older adults.

The studies are observational and focus on specific populations and care settings, so their findings may not generalize to every community. Still, taken together, they provide researchers, health care providers, emergency planners and families with evidence that can help strengthen preparedness—and ensure the needs of older adults remain part of disaster planning and recovery.