Almost three-fourths of older adults have experienced some type of extreme weather event in the past two years and are becoming increasingly concerned about the effects of climate change on their health and the health of future generations, according to new research by the University of Michigan.
The findings follow incidents of wildfires, hurricanes and other weather events experienced by senior living residents, requiring temporary relocations and other actions when their communities are affected.
For the report, titled “Beyond the Forecast: Experiences with Extreme Weather and Concerns About Climate and Health,” the U-M’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation surveyed almost 3,500 older adults aged 50 to 94 about their views on climate and health-related issues.
Key findings of the report:
- 74% of respondents said they had experienced at least one extreme weather event in the past two years, including extreme heat, poor air quality due to wildfires, severe storms or long power outages.
- 59% of participants said they were concerned about the effects of climate change on their own health, and 74% said they were concerned about the health of future generations.
- 27% of the survey-takers reported not having enough reliable information on the effects of climate change on their health, and another 28% said they were unsure whether they had enough reliable information.
- Only 6% of respondents said that a healthcare provider had talked with them about preparing for climate-related health emergencies.
Of the 74% of participants who reported experiencing at least one extreme weather event in the past two years, 63% reported experiencing extreme heat; 35% said they had experienced poor air quality due to wildfires; 31% reported experiencing severe storms such as tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding and blizzards; and 13% said they had experienced long power outages.
The survey was conducted in August, before hurricanes Helene and Milton and the wildfires in Southern California.
Adverse weather affects senior living
Many senior living communities have experienced their share of issues with adverse weather in recent years.
During the California wildfires in January, the California Department of Public Health reported that approximately 840 residents and patients of residential care communities, nursing homes and group homes had been evacuated due to the fires.
During Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton last year, hundreds of assisted living communities in Florida and other states were either forced to evacuate residents or had severe storm or flood damage.
Notable gap in discussions
The U-M report found a notable gap in discussions about climate-related health emergencies between healthcare providers and older adults and suggested the need for greater communication between them on these issues.
According to the survey, only 9% of older adults get information about the health effects of climate change from healthcare providers, with the vast majority getting their information from television, newspapers and social media.
“Given the substantial risk extreme weather events may have on older adults’ health, healthcare providers should assess for climate-related risks, especially for those older adults with chronic conditions or disabilities,” the report’s authors wrote. “Healthcare providers can play an important role in educating patients and their family members or caregivers about heat-related illness prevention, emergency preparedness, and respiratory risks from poor air quality, even in brief communications during otherwise busy patient visits.”
