Alleviating Disaster Vulnerability and Improving Resilience of the Elderly

When disasters occur, older people are more at risk than other age groups. This is because physical fitness, hearing, and vision deteriorate due to aging, and physical movement is not easy. Nevertheless, there are insufficient studies on accurate identification of the elderly who have disaster-safety vulnerabilities, and the recognition and behavior of the disaster risks of the elderly. In the age of aging, it is necessary to prepare systematic measures against disaster vulnerability and to promote resilience for the elderly. And it is urgent to implement practical disaster safety policies for the elderly as disaster-vulnerable people. The purpose of this study is to analyze the disaster vulnerability of elderly people and to improve their resilience in the age of aging. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, we examine the current status of the elderly people's disaster vulnerability, including the current status of the elderly and their recognition of disaster safety. This paper suggests: disaster vulnerability management that reflects the disaster vulnerability and desire of the elderly, legal and institutional support for enhancing the resilience of disaster recovery of the elderly, the development, education, and training with disaster-response manuals for the elderly.