Recent death of Gilles Duceppe’s 93 year-old mother shines light on vulnerability of older adults living with frailty in emergencies
As witnessed by the tragedy of Rowley Hotte’s death in Quebec, the safety of Canada’s older adults, particularly those living with frailty, is a challenge that must be addressed.
No matter where they live, standards should be in place to ensure that all vulnerable older adults are accounted for in times of disasters, or yes, for things like fire alarms. Hearing, mobility, sight and dementia are all factors that amplify the dangers for vulnerable seniors.
Registries, checklists and clear instructions for seniors should be required for all residences, whether they be long-term care, assisted living, retirement communities, apartment buildings or other private residences.
Summer, winter … all seasons bring natural disasters. Who can forget the Quebec summer heat wave in 2018, and the fact that most of the heat-related deaths in Montreal involved seniors with chronic conditions.
Read CFN Investigator John Hirdes’ opinion about the issue of priority attention needed by seniors when disasters strike in the National Post published July 2018.