Citation

Adams V, Kaufman SR, VAN Hattum T, Moody S. Med. Anthropol. 2011; 30(3): 247-270.

Affiliation

Medical Anthropology, University of California San Francisco, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/01459740.2011.560777

PMID

21590581

PMCID

PMC3098037

Abstract

Data from this multiyear qualitative study of the effects of Hurricane Katrina and flooding in New Orleans suggest differences in how the elderly cope with disaster. At the time of the disaster, the elderly of New Orleans were at greater risk than other groups, and more elderly died than any other group during the storm and in the first year after. Those who did survive beyond the first year report coping with the long-term disaster aftermath better than the generation below them, experiencing heightened stresses, and feeling as if they are "aging" faster than they should. We offer insight on how we might define and characterize disasters, and illustrate that long-term catastrophes "age" in specific ways.

Language: en