Up to 60% of older adults in America have more than one chronic health condition. Diabetes, kidney disease, and even cancer are prime examples of conditions that require daily attention in order to keep an optimum level of health.

When our research team surveyed older adults who use essential medical equipment that requires electricity, just 25% had an alternative power source for that equipment.

Further, oxygen tanks, home dialysis machines, chemotherapy and strict dietary and medication regimens can be a part of life-saving daily routines. Without this equipment, breakdowns in health can occur, which can have long-lasting effects on health.

Older adults may be hesitant to break these care routines, or worry about being away from important equipment that is not portable.

Difficulty moving around, losing balance and unsteadiness are common changes that occur with aging. The risk of falling or injury while moving more than usual due to the storm preparations is a considerable challenge.

For seniors with limited mobility, the challenges of getting prepared to evacuate and then moving out of their homes and into a crowded and chaotic situation can be a serious deterrent.

Social isolation is also a well-documented issue among older adults. Older adults who live alone, who are caregivers for loved ones or who don’t speak English are especially at risk. These individuals may lack the awareness and resources to evacuate.

That’s why evacuation planning guidelines recommend checking in on neighbors to see if they need help. Programs, run by governments or community groups, also exist in some areas to help seniors evacuate.

Many seniors have chosen to stay home through decades of strong storms and hurricanes. Hurricane Ian may not seem any different – but it is.

The Gulf Coast near Tampa has not seen direct impacts of a hurricane in more than 100 years. The tendency to underestimate the severity of a disaster and its potential effects is called normalcy bias. The idea that “if it hasn’t happened before, why should it happen now?” is one that keeps many at home rather than evacuating.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody told reporters, “This could be the storm that we have all feared” in the Tampa Bay area. She is right to be scared.

Hurricane Ian is expected to cause huge damages as it nears the coast of Florida, and it will almost certainly have long term effects for many of its senior residents. Building supportive communities that can help older adults prepare for – and become resilient to – disasters are needed now more than ever.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Sue Anne Bell, University of Michigan. If you found it interesting, you could subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Read more:
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Research reported in this publication was supported by National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health.