Living in a shelter, away from their own home, can cause great pain for elderly people since such an experience means the loss of their "everyday lives."
Generally, it is believed that as people get older, the ability to adapt to a new environment or crisis situation decreases.
In terms of the physical aspects, the elderly tend to have physical illnesses or disabilities that require daily medication and/or physician services.
Therefore, it is necessary to continuously provide attentive support that meets individual needs, based on a comprehensive understanding of each person's mental/physical conditions as well as life patterns and values maintained over the years. It is also important to encourage them to keep regular hours and stay in contact with others, making sure to form a balance between activity and rest. The elderly and children are similar in that they have a limited ability to cope with disaster-caused stress on their own and that fear and a feeling of helplessness manifest themselves intensely.
As stated above, living in a shelter is extremely hard for elderly people. But it should also be remembered that family members and other people taking care of the elderly are also experiencing significant burdens and are likely to feel stressed and be fatigued easily. It is also important for nurses to pay attention to people surrounding elderly people.
