Citation

Rutkow L, Vernick JS, Spira AP, Barnett DJ. J. Law Med. Ethics 2013; 41(Suppl 1): 80-83.

Affiliation

Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Assistant Professor in the Department of Mental Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/jlme.12046

PMID

23590748

Abstract

Disasters may disproportionately impact older adults due to sensory deficits, diminished social support networks, financial limitations, and displacement from familiar environments. During and shortly after a disaster, older adults' mental health needs may be overlooked for varied reasons, including concerns about stigma and lack of information about available services. Law can protect the mental health of older adults in disaster and non-disaster circumstances, but it sometimes may frustrate efforts to address older adults' mental health concerns. This article analyzes three areas - Medicare services, staffing shortages, and continuity of prescription medications - in which the law has the potential to promote the mental health of older adults during disasters.

Language: en