Preparedness in Long-Term Care: A Novel Approach to Address Gaps in Evacuation Tracking

Area of Science:

• Disaster Medicine
• Public Health Preparedness
• Geriatric Care

Background:

• The growing elderly population in long-term care (LTC) facilities presents unique disaster preparedness challenges.
• LTC residents often have complex medical needs, cognitive impairments, and mobility deficits, increasing their vulnerability during emergencies.
• Elderly populations disproportionately suffer morbidity and mortality in disasters, often due to being overlooked during evacuations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the evacuation challenges faced by LTC facilities during disasters, using the 2013 West, Texas explosion as a case study.
• To propose a novel, easily implementable strategy to enhance the recognition and safety of LTC residents during mass evacuations.

Main Methods:

• Review of evacuation challenges during the West Fertilizer Company plant explosion.
• Proposal of a mandatory visual identifier (pink vests) for LTC residents during evacuations.

Main Results:

• The West, Texas explosion highlighted significant evacuation difficulties for LTC facilities.
• The proposed pink vest system offers a rapid and effective method for identifying LTC residents with special needs during chaotic disaster response.

Conclusions:

• Standard disaster preparedness strategies may be insufficient for LTC facilities.
• Mandatory pink vests for LTC residents can significantly improve their recognition by rescue personnel, reducing risks during evacuations.