By Merin C. MacDonald | Date Published: May 14, 2024
David Dosa and Collaborators Study Effects of Hurricane Evacuations on Assisted Living Residents
Previous studies have shown that older assisted living residents are at an increased risk for morbidity and mortality during and after hurricanes. With an uptick in severe hurricanes during recent years, the impact of decisions to initiate evacuations or shelter-in-place on assisted living residents is important to consider.
David Dosa, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatric Medicine, is an author of a recent retrospective cohort study published in JAMA Network Open, that looked at evacuation and health care outcomes among assisted living residents in Florida after Hurricane Irma. Using data collected from Medicare claims, investigators examined residents from assisted living communities who evacuated versus those who sheltered in place. They found that there was an increased risk of nursing home and emergency department visits within 30 days of Hurricane Irma’s landfall among the communities that evacuated compared to those that sheltered in place. They concluded that the possible benefits and harms of the impact of these decisions should be considered when establishing hurricane emergency response plans.