Emergencies and Older Persons

Emergencies, whether caused by conflict or natural disaster (e.g., cyclones, tornados, hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, chemical spills or climate change-induced drought, famine, rainfall variation and shrinkage of water supplies), lead to catastrophic suffering, misery and humanitarian crises and invariably threaten rights to equal protection under international human rights and humanitarian law either as a result of human right violations associated with the emergencies themselves and the associated response or exacerbation of human rights problems that already existed before the emergency situation emerged. In addition to the issues under international humanitarian and human rights laws, attention must be paid to the practical aspects of international responses to emergencies, which remain largely ad hoc and subject to political considerations that often override the need for compassion for innocent human beings. All victims of emergencies are at risk, but older adults are typically the least prepared; have the highest rate of disaster-related deaths; and are more at risk during all phases of a disaster due to sensory deficits and preexisting mental and physical incapacities, from life-threatening challenges during evacuation to negative psychological consequences during the recovery period. Current international human rights instruments do not specifically address the issues of ageing and therefore preclude older persons from the full enjoyment of their human rights, particularly in emergency situations, and older persons must cope with serious threats to their rights to housing, social security, work, and health during emergencies as well as the heightened risk of violence, maltreatment, and abuse. This book discusses the unique characteristics and needs of older persons that need to be taken into account when preparing for emergencies and designing and executing emergency response and recovery plans and includes chapters on specific types of emergency situations including the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and climate change.

Auteur

This book was written by Alan S. Gutterman, whose prolific output of practical guidance and tools for legal and financial professionals, managers, entrepreneurs, and investors has made him one of the best-selling individual authors in the global legal publishing marketplace. Alan has authored or edited over 300 book-length works on entrepreneurship, business law and transactions, sustainability, impact investment, business and human rights and corporate social responsibility, civil and human rights of older persons, and international business for several publishers including Thomson Reuters, Practical Law, Kluwer, Aspatore, Oxford, Quorum, ABA Press, Aspen, Sweet & Maxwell, Euromoney, Business Expert Press, Harvard Business Publishing, CCH, and BNA. His cornerstone work, Business Transactions Solution, is an online-only product available and featured on Thomson Reuters' Westlaw, the world's largest legal content platform, which covers the entire lifecycle of a business. Alan has extensive experience as a partner and senior counsel with internationally recognized law firms counseling small and large business enterprises, and has also held senior management positions with several technology-based businesses including service as the chief legal officer of a leading international distributor of IT products headquartered in Silicon Valley and as the chief operating officer of an emerging broadband media company. He has been an adjunct faculty member at several colleges and universities, and he has also launched and oversees projects relating to promoting the civil and human rights of older persons and a human rights-based approach to entrepreneurship. He received his A.B., M.B.A., and J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, a D.B.A. from Golden Gate University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, and he is also a Credentialed Professional Gerontologist (CPG). For more information about Alan and his activities, please contact him directly at alangutterman@gmail.com, follow him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alangutterman/), and visit his personal website at www.alangutterman.com to view a comprehensive listing of his works and subscribe to receive updates. Many of Alan's research papers and other publications are also available through SSRN and Google Scholar.