3.1.2. Cognitive Impairment

A study of evacuations during Hurricane Gustav in 2008 finds that nursing home residents with severe dementia had an increased mortality risk between 30 and 90 days after the evacuation (Brown et al. 2012). During a climate crisis or event, the elderly with cognitive impairments can have a limited grasp on communications, weather warnings, disaster bulletins, and offers of assistance. They might also have difficulty taking preventative measures before the event or being able to help themselves after the event. These seniors can become agitated during the crisis. Brown et al. (2012) report that, during Hurricane Gustav in 2008, residents in nursing homes had an increased mortality risk 30 to 90 days after evacuation. According to USA Today (2019), suffocating heat resulted in 12 patients dying after the passing of Hurricane Irma in September 2017. Irma caused a power outage to the nursing home's air conditioning system, and, as such, the residents experienced temperatures of nearly 100-degree temperatures for days. The workers at the facility, it was said, failed to evacuate despite the terrible heating situation at the Rehabilitation Center.
