Calamities take a heavy toll on the elderly

NEW YORK -- In a season of national calamities, the elderly have taken perhaps the hardest hit -- dying by the dozens in flooded Louisiana nursing homes, aboard a blazing bus near Dallas, in the chilly waters of a New York lake after a tour boat capsized.

Different factors lay behind each incident, yet together they are provoking debate on what more should be done to maximize the safety of older people. Though many are spry and resilient, others need special attention and care to get through an emergency.

Nursing homes are one obvious target for scrutiny and tighter regulation. Failure to carry out evacuation plans contributed to 56 deaths at two Louisiana nursing homes during Hurricane Katrina, and the industry nationwide faces pressure to curb the number of fatal fires and other safety problems.

Katrina also took a heavy, though yet uncounted, toll on seniors who lived on their own; some drowned and others were stranded helplessly for days. Dr. Robert Butler, an expert on aging, says the hurricane should prompt authorities to be more aware of where frail and elderly people live, and proactively develop plans to help them in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

"In some sense, these tragedies reflect the invisibility of older people," said Butler, president of the International Longevity Center. "No one is thinking about them ahead of time."

"A lot of times people who are frail or elderly don't wanted to be treated differently," said John Rother, director of policy and strategy for AARP. "I'm not quick to jump on the bandwagon of requiring extra precautions. Accidents happen."

"One of the problems in the Gulf," said Rother, "was that apparently the authorities had no idea where people were who needed help."

"There is clearly a need for special-needs shelters, places appropriate for a very vulnerable population," Rother said. "These were not available in the Gulf."

Many states impose special license renewal procedures for older motorists, such as more frequent vision tests. But no other transportation safety laws distinguish between senior citizens and other adults, said Melissa Savage of the National Council of State Legislatures.

"That age group is a very powerful lobby," she said. "It doesn't happen too often that a state will get something passed that singles people out based on age."

To Butler, 78, the systematic safety flaws at many nursing homes -- inept evacuation plans, ill-trained staff, lack of fire sprinklers -- reflect a broad