Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 2019;45(11):21–29
Abstract
Our climate is changing. These changes have an impact on health, especially in vulnerable populations such as older adults. Many older adults lack the physical, cognitive, social, and economic resources to avoid and/or mitigate the effects of exposure to extreme weather events. The purpose of the current article is to help nurses understand climate change and how that relates to the need for specific interventions to support climate adaptation for the older adult population. A model of exposure, contact to stressors, and adaptive capacity are used to address the health needs of older adults in the face of climate change. Gaps in nursing knowledge, resources for nurses, and a proposed agenda for research and practice in climate change are offered. Gerontological nurses are in an important position to lessen the harm of climate change in older adults through practice, research, and policy. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 45(11), 21–29.]
- AARP. (n.d.). Natural disaster planning and recovery. Retrieved from https://policybook.aarp.org/policy-book/livable-communities/effective-planning/natural-disaster#policy-section Google Scholar
- Ahlholm J. U., Helander M. L., Savolainen J. (1998). Genetic and environmental factors affecting the allergenicity of birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii [Orl.] Hämet-ahti) pollen. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 28(11), 1384–1388 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2222.1998.00404.x PMID:
10.1046/j.1365-2222.1998.00404.x 9824411 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Anaker A., Nilsson M., Holmner Å., Elf M. (2015). Nurses' perceptions of climate and environmental issues: A qualitative study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 71(8), 1883–1891 https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12655 PMID:
10.1111/jan.12655 25810044 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Balbus J. M., Malina C. (2009). Identifying vulnerable subpopulations for climate change health effects in the United States. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 51(1), 33–37 https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0b013e318193e12e PMID:
10.1097/JOM.0b013e318193e12e 19136871 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Cook C., Demorest S. L., Schenk E. (2019). Nurses and climate action. AJN The American Journal of Nursing, 119(4), 54–60 https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000554551.46769.49 PMID:
10.1097/01.NAJ.0000554551.46769.49 30896494 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Costello A., Abbas M., Allen A., Ball S., Bell S., Bellamy R., Patterson C. (2009). Managing the health effects of climate change: Lancet and University College London Institute for Global Health Commission. Lancet, 373(9676), 1693–1733 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60935-1 PMID:
10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60935-1 19447250 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - (Eds.). (2016). The impacts of climate change on human health in the United States: A scientific assessment. Retrieved from https://health2016.global-change.gov Google Scholar
- Cubanski J., Koma W., Damico A., Neuman T. (2018, November19). How many seniors live in poverty. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/how-many-seniors-live-in-poverty Google Scholar
- Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Air quality and climate change research. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/air-research/air-quality-and-climate-change-research Google Scholar
- Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2006, August4). Special needs need special planning for disasters. Retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2006/08/04/special-needs-need-special-planning-disasters Google Scholar
- Fiore A. M., Naik V., Leibensperger E. M. (2015). Air quality and climate connections. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 65(6), 645–685 https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2015.1040526 PMID:
10.1080/10962247.2015.1040526 CrossrefGoogle Scholar - Gamble J. L., Balbus J., Berger M., Bouye K., Campbell V., Chief K., Wolkin A. F. (2016). Populations of concern. The impacts of climate change on human health in the United States: A scientific assessment (pp. 247–286). Washington, DC: U.S. Global Change Research Program. https://doi.org/10.7930/J0Q81B0T Google Scholar
- Gamble J. L., Hurley B. J., Schultz P. A., Jaglom W. S., Krishnan N., Harris M. (2013). Climate change and older Americans: State of the science. Environmental Health Perspectives, 121(1), 15–22 https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1205223 PMID:
10.1289/ehp.1205223 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2018). Global warming of 1.5°C. Retrieved from https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15 Google Scholar
- Jezak K., Kozajda A., Sowiak M., Brzeznicki S., Bonczarowska M., Szadkowska-Stanczyk I. (2016). The capability of fungi isolated from moldy dwellings to produce toxins. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 29(5), 823–836 https://doi.org/10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00601 PMID:
10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00601 27518891 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Jonkman S. N., Maaskant B., Boyd E., Levitan M. L. (2009). Loss of life caused by the flooding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina: Analysis of the relationship between flood characteristics and mortality. Risk Analysis, 29(5), 676–698 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6924.2008.01190.x PMID:
10.1111/j.1539-6924.2008.01190.x 19187485 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Konrad W. (2011, August16). Mistakes in storage may alter medication. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/health/16consumer.html Google Scholar
- Leffers J., McDermott-Levy R., Nicholas P. K., Sweeney C. F. (2017). Mandate for the nursing profession to address climate change through nursing education. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 49(6), 679–687 https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12331 PMID:
10.1111/jnu.12331 28806483 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Leyva E. W. A., Beaman A., Davidson P. M. (2017). Health impact of climate change in older people: An integrative review and implications for nursing. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 49(6), 670–678 https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12346 PMID:
10.1111/jnu.12346 29024396 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Mann M. (2019). Droughts and floods may level off until 2050, but then watch out. Scientific American, 320(3), 42–29. Google Scholar
- Mann M. E. (2013). The hockey stick and the climate wars. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
10.7312/columbia/9780231152556.001.0001 CrossrefGoogle Scholar - Mann M. E., Kump L. R. (2015). Dire predictions: Understanding climate change (2nd ed.). New York, NY: DK Publishing. Google Scholar
- Mann M. E., Rahmstorf S., Kornhuber K., Steinman B. A., Miller S. K., Petri S., Coumou D. (2018). Projected changes in persistent extreme summer weather events: The role of quasi-resonant amplification. Retrieved from https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/10/eaat3272 Google Scholar
- Miller C. A. (2019). Nursing for wellness in the older adult (8th ed.). New York, NY: Wolters Kluwer. Google Scholar
- National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. (2017). Understanding ocean acidification. Retrieved from https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-ocean-acidification Google Scholar
- Oh E. S., Fong T. G., Hshieh T. T., Inouye S. K. (2017). Delirium in older persons: Advances in diagnosis and treatment. Journal of the American Medical Association, 318(12), 1161–1174 https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2017.12067 PMID:
10.1001/jama.2017.12067 28973626 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Opitz-Stapleton S. (2014). Da Nang, Vietnam: Climate change impacts of heat stress by 2050. Retrieved from https://assets.rockefellerfoundation.org/app/uploads/20160401171256/Climate-Change-Impacts-on-Heat-Stress-by-2050.pdf Google Scholar
- Paavola J. (2017). Health impacts of climate change and health and social inequalities in the UK. Environmental Health, 16(Suppl. 1), 113, 61–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12940-017-0328-z
10.1186/s12940-017-0328-z Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Polivka B. J., Chaudry R. V., Mac Crawford J. (2012). Public health nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding climate change. Environmental Health Perspectives, 120(3), 321–325 https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1104025 PMID:
10.1289/ehp.1104025 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Poole J. A., Barnes C. S., Demain J. G., Bernstein J. A., Padukudru M. A., Sheehan W., Nel A. E. (2019). Impact of weather and climate change with indoor and outdoor air quality in asthma. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 143(5), 1702–1710 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2019.02.018
10.1016/j.jaci.2019.02.018 30826366 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Smith Caldwell Drug Store. (2015). Storing medications: Why you have to take special precautions during the summer. Retrieved from https://www.smithcaldwell.com/storing-medications-why-you-have-to-take-special-precautions-during-the-summer Google Scholar
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). 2018 profile of older Americans. Retrieved from https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/Aging%20and%20Disability%20in%20America/2018OlderAmericansProfile.pdf Google Scholar
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2019). Additional emergency and disaster-related policies and procedures that may be implemented only with a § 1135 waiver. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/Emergency/downloads/MedicareFFSEmergencyQsAs1135Waiver.pdf Google Scholar
- U.S. Global Change Research Program. (2018). Fourth national climate assessment, volume II: Impacts, risks, and adaptation in the United States. Retrieved from http://globalchange.gov Google Scholar
- Watts N., Adger W. N., Agnolucci P., Blackstock J., Byass P., Cai W., Costello A. (2015). Health and climate change: Policy responses to protect public health. Lancet, 386(10006), 1861–1914 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60854-6 PMID:
10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60854-6 26111439 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Westaway K., Frank O., Husband A., McClure A., Shute R., Edwards S., Rowett D. (2015). Medicines can affect thermoregulation and accentuate the risk of dehydration and heat-related illness during hot weather. Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 40(4), 363–367 https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpt.12294 PMID:
10.1111/jcpt.12294 26073686 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar - Worfolk J. B. (2000). Heat waves: Their impact on the health of elders. Geriatric Nursing, 21(2), 70–77 https://doi.org/10.1067/mgn.2000.107131 PMID:
10.1067/mgn.2000.107131 10769330 Crossref MedlineGoogle Scholar
