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Planning strategies to deal with aging populations

FP has an interesting piece "Passport Aging Population Forces Disaster Planners to Adapt Strategies" on how authorities are looking to have strategies in place to deal with aging populations.

"The world is aging fast. In part, that is the result of improved conditions around the globe -- better health care, nutrition, and technology have allowed people to live longer lives. But with the 60 or older population expected to nearly triple to 3 billion by 2100, according to the United Nations, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is taking new measures to protect the world's elderly. On Tuesday, to coincide with the "International Day for Disaster Reduction," the development agency said it will adapt its disaster planning to better accommodate senior citizens. 

The 60 and older demographic is already the world's fastest growing and could swell to 28 percent of the projected 10.9 billion people worldwide by the end of the century, according to the U.N. This makes them particularly susceptible to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, droughts, and storms. In 2013, natural disasters claimed more than 22,000 victims, affected the lives of nearly 97 million others, and caused almost $118 billion in economic damages, according to USAID.

Because the global population is rapidly aging and settling more frequently in natural disaster-prone areas, future disasters will likely be even more devastating. USAID's focus on disaster-risk reduction aims to stave off those effects by taking new measures to identify the elderly in advance in at-risk areas and prepare evacuation routes. Moreover, the development agency hopes to tap into the expertise of the world's aging population to help reduce the risk from natural disasters."

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