This toolkit helps service providers for the aging learn more about alcohol and medication misuse and mental illness among older adults. It provides tools such as a program coordinator’s guide, suggested curricula, and handouts, including screening tools to help identify problematic alcohol use and depression in older adults.

This brochure offers tips for people with loved ones who are older adults to help them keep in contact with their older relatives and friends after a disaster. A planning mnemonic (INTOUCH) is provided, with steps to take for creating an individualized plan.

This webpage provides information about planning and preparedness for caregivers of people with Alzheimers disease and dementias, which are conditions that are more common among older adults than other age groups. In addition to general emergency planning tips, the page provides ideas and links to help plan for continuity of pharmacological care, safety for the person with dementia, and access to medical records.

In this resource, AARP, which works to enhance quality of life for older adults, provides guidance for disaster-affected communities to help them rebuild and recover in ways that make them better places to live for people of all ages. AARP points out that the U.S. population is aging and argues for the importance of making communities accessible to and livable for older adults and those of all ages.

This guide lists three steps to preparedness - getting a kit, making a plan, and being informed and describes the activities that should be involved in each of these steps.

This special issue of Elder Update, a newsletter created by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, includes preparation information for various types of natural disasters including hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes. It outlines topics including disaster kits, insurance, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance application process.

This toolkit helps states and localities include the needs of special populations, including people with disabilities and other functional needs, in their disaster plans and disaster response processes.

Through the Eldercare Locator, users can find services for older adults and their families in locations across the country, in areas running the gamut from behavioral health to financial assistance to insurance to food and nutrition.

This fact sheet provides three steps for older adults and their caregivers to take in planning and preparing for disasters and other emergencies: make a plan, stock an emergency medical kit, and make a disaster supplies kit. For each step, several items and elements to include are listed.

This tip sheet offers guidance in emergency preparedness for those who care for and support people with Alzheimers and other dementias. Preparedness steps are presented, as are items to include in an emergency kit. Also included are steps to take during an evacuation, ideas to help the person with dementia avoid agitation, and tips for self-care for people helping those with dementia.

Disabled-World.com is an independent health and disability website that provides information on topics related to seniors and disability. This section of the website provides links to resources specific to disasters and emergency planning for seniors and people with disabilities.

This guide provides in-depth information on specific hazards, including what to do before, during, and after each hazard type.

This guide provides suicide facts and figures, information on the role of first responders in suicide prevention, and information on helping someone who is suicidal. It offers information that may be helpful to managers of first responders as they plan, implement, and assess training and programs to prepare responders to work with individuals experiencing suicidality or scenes in which a suicide has been completed.

In this online article, the NIA defines hypothermia, a risk for people in snowstorms, ice storms, and other cold winter weather. The booklet explains why older adults may be especially at risk, presents tips for avoiding hypothermia, lists hypothermia warning signs, and identifies sources of additional information and support.

Designed for nursing homes, assisted living facilities, independent living facilities, and continuing care retirement communities, this toolkit contains a suite of resources with information about mental health and suicide prevention. It includes a manager’s guide, fact sheets for residents, and hands-on training tools for professional staff and family members.

The guide was adapted from the Psychological First Aid Operations Guide (2nd Edition), with permission from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Center for PTSD.

This handout provides information on the stresses relocation after a disaster may cause for a family. It also includes the signs of stress that are common in children and adolescents of different ages, as well as in older adults, and ways that parents, caregivers, and families can support children and older adults in coping with stress.

AARP is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for older adults. AARP promotes positive social change and provides its members with information, advocacy, and services.

This fact sheet lists common reactions older adults may have after a disaster and warning signs that someone may need extra help. It also provides strategies for helping older adults recover from the emotional aftermath of a disaster.

This document presents the ways in which older adults are particularly vulnerable in disasters and suggests how responders during a disaster can make sure their services reach and address the needs of older adults. Examples are provided of promising practices in serving older adults before, during, and after disasters. (MDC was formerly Manpower Development Corp.)

This article describes a survey conducted in Los Angeles County in California to examine disaster preparedness among people with disabilities, people with chronic health conditions, and people with serious mental illness (SMI). They found that people with SMI were significantly less likely than those without SMI to have disaster supplies and an emergency communication plan.

This article presents an overview of how extreme weather events caused by climate change can cause increased stress and contribute to more serious mental health issues. It also identifies individuals who are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, including children and people with existing mental illness. Lastly, it considers the potential long-term mental health effects of climate change.

Provided by the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline, this web page gives an overview of the effects droughts may have. It lists the signs of emotional distress related to drought and who may be most at risk of experiencing them. Lastly, it provides resources and information on where to get help.

This website provides links to information on suicide prevention that is tailored for specific settings, such as the workplace, faith communities, schools, colleges and universities, and foster care. Each link goes to a page offering guidance and resources for a specific setting.

This article covers best practice guidelines for helping adults with intellectual disabilities to cope with their responses, including posttraumatic and grief responses, to disasters. The authors emphasize focusing on resilience and the strengths that people with intellectual disabilities can offer to their communities. [Authors: Ballan M, Sormanti M, Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal. 2(3).]