The Future of Aging and Longevity - Flipbook - Page 15
“With a growing aging
popula琀椀on, inten琀椀onal focus
is cri琀椀cal to achieving public
health’s goals of health
equity and maximizing
health and longevity.”
maximizing health and longevity.
We are making some progress in eleva琀椀ng aging
as a part of emergency preparedness and response.
The Age-Friendly Public Health Systems Framework,
created by the Trust for America’s Health and The
John A. Har琀昀ord Founda琀椀on in 2017, has increased
educa琀椀on and support for priori琀椀zing older adults in
state and local public health work.
The US Congress has begun to take some
ac琀椀on: The Na琀椀onal Advisory Commi琀琀ee on
Seniors and Disasters, which advises federal
agencies involved in emergency response, was
created following the 2019 reauthoriza琀椀on of
the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act.
That same year, bipar琀椀san members of Congress
introduced the Real Emergency Access for Aging
and Disability Inclusion (REAADI) for Disasters
Act to address cri琀椀cal gaps in emergency planning
and response. The bill has been reintroduced each
Congress but unfortunately has yet to be enacted.
Since Hurricane Katrina, the federal
government has gradually strengthened
partnerships among federal, state, and local
emergency response agencies and aging services
organiza琀椀ons. The Federal Emergency Management
Agency now works with local aging organiza琀椀ons,
like Area Agencies on Aging, to be琀琀er coordinate
outreach to high-risk older adults, pre-posi琀椀oning
of resources, and responsive services and
supports. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the
Centers for Disease Control and Preven琀椀on and
the Administra琀椀on for Community Living (ACL)
worked with state and local counterparts to
increase access to vaccines and other lifesaving
treatments for hard-to-reach, at-risk older adults.
The federal government has also worked to improve
the accessibility of emergency response e昀昀orts,
recently issuing regula琀椀ons to ensure equal access
for people with disabili琀椀es, including the many
older adults who have mobility, hearing, vision, or
cogni琀椀ve impairments. This is progress.
But in the next decade—when we will
have more older adults in this country than
children—we must scale these e昀昀orts. First,
the partnerships between the aging and public
health communi琀椀es forged during the COVID-19
pandemic should be revitalized and expanded to
include disaster preparedness and response, and
public health should grow the reach of the AgeFriendly Public Health Systems ini琀椀a琀椀ve. Second,
aging organiza琀椀ons, including the ACL-funded
aging network in every state and virtually every
community, must become formal partners in
emergency planning. Nongovernmental voluntary
and community organiza琀椀ons involved in disaster
response should also be included. Third, older adults,
their families, and their advocates must be engaged
and directly involved in all emergency planning
e昀昀orts. They know best what they need. Together,
these partnerships will require sustained funding
and support, another reason that legisla琀椀on like the
REAADI for Disasters Act could be a game changer.
As we look ahead to a future with a growing
number of our family members, friends, and
neighbors aging, public health must step up to
the task of ensuring they are healthy, safe, and
protected during and a昀琀er emergencies.
A D ECA D E O F P RO GRE S S , A D ECA D E TO ACT 11
