Your Health and a Changing Climate Newsletter, Volume 5, December 2006

Protecting the Health of Vulnerable Populations

Certain people in Canada are more vulnerable to climate-related health risks because of age, health status, gender or employment. For example, seniors are especially vulnerable to extreme cold or hot weather, because of their diminished ability to acclimatize to changing temperatures, and higher prevalence of pre-existing health conditions and social isolation. The special vulnerability of this population group was tragically revealed in the 2003 European heat wave which resulted in over 35 000 deaths, the vast majority of which were seniors.

Recent natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, and other non-climate related events such as the Asian tsunami and Pakistan earthquake have highlighted that seniors, regardless of where they live in the world, have special needs. In the next decades, the proportion of seniors will significantly grow to 25% of the Canadian population by 2031. These concerns are increasingly important to policy makers, academics, emergency managers and health care providers. Indeed, one of the key lessons of Hurricane Katrina is that all levels of government must work together, alongside non-government organizations and the private sector, to integrate both the needs but also the resources of seniors into emergency preparedness, response planning and decision-making.

The Winnipeg International Workshop on Seniors in Emergencies and Disasters to be held from February 6-9, 2007 in Winnipeg Canada is being sponsored by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Government of Manitoba in collaboration with the World Health Organization. It will bring invited stakeholders from around the world to develop expert guidance for influencing changes to emergency preparedness policy and practice as these relate to seniors. Dialogues with experts on aging, and emergency management as well as health care will provide a unique opportunity to achieve a common understanding of not only the impacts of disasters, such as those arising from climate change, on seniors around the world, but also the importance of recognising the contributions made by them in rebuilding their communities. Key outcomes of the workshop will include:

• Assessment of current evidence and status of seniors and emergency preparedness activities, nationally and internationally.
  
  
• Identification of key policy options to address gaps and encourage use of better practices.
  
  
• Demonstration of practical tools and guidelines to assist policy makers and service providers.
  
  
• Identification of opportunities for further collaborative action, nationally and internationally.

The Winnipeg International Workshop is expected to lay the foundations for future policy and practice in Canada and other participating countries. Conference proceedings and recommendations will be disseminated to senior government officials and non-government representatives, and will serve as a guiding framework for developing effective emergency management processes for seniors in emergencies.

The Division of Aging and Seniors and the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response, of the Public Health Agency of Canada, work collaboratively with national and international partners to promote the health of the public, and to enhance the preparedness of populations like seniors, in emergency situations.

>>> For further information please contact: patti_gorr@hc-sc.gc.ca