There were no clear-cut findings. But I gathered that psychological effects of the flood have lasted longer among women than men in the study. This summer, Ferraro would like to bring in as many of the older adults he has studied as possible for more research. This goes beyond 10 papers already published. Eventually, he would like to prepare a manual that would help older adults cope with natural disasters.
Research shows disasters evoke varying degrees of psychological stress.
Older adults are vulnerable in several ways. They are less likely to get the warnings and more reluctant to evacuate. They are disturbed by altered patterns of life. On the other hand, there is evidence older adults are more resilient because they have had previous experience with disasters. He speculates that many of the students listening to him will end up as old-olds, some living more than 100 years.