“Environmental stresses reinforce existing physical and social vulnerabilities, and this is of particular concern for older adults,” says Michal Engelman, PhD, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Demography of Health and Aging at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Climate change and its associated weather extremes have implications for people of all ages. However, underlying health conditions, socioeconomic factors, and difficulties reacting quickly to emergencies put older people at higher risk of adverse impacts from extreme climate and weather-related events. Additionally, many older adults rely on others for care or use networks of health and social services that if disrupted during climate-related emergencies could leave older adults in unsafe circumstances.
Engelman, who is a CARE Affiliate, played a leading role in organizing the Climate Change, Aging, and Health Across the Life Course Workshop held at UW–Madison this past May. The three-day workshop brought scholars from across the United States together to: (1) share cutting-edge research on the effects of climate conditions on the health of older adults; (2) identify the data and study design features needed to advance research on climate and aging; (3) identify major gaps in research on climate and aging and develop collaborations to begin addressing these gaps; and (4) support the scholarship of early-stage investigators advancing research on the effects of climate change on older adults.
The overall goal was to encourage those who study aging to incorporate climate concerns and those who study climate change to consider older populations. Engelman states, “I think we succeeded in this—as evidenced both by the research presented as well as the research collaborations and grant proposals that were developed during the second day. … Several students and younger faculty have talked about the inspiration and motivation that the conference provided for their upcoming work in this area.”
Topics included older adult health and extreme events in the United States; the integration of climate science and social science; the effects of flooding, drought, and extreme winter weather on health outcomes; adaptation and mitigation responses to climate effects; and racial disparities in climate-related mortality.
The Center for Demography of Health and Aging has recently provided new pilot funding to support research at the intersection of aging and climate change. Wan-chin Kuo, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor of Nursing and CARE Affiliate, is a recipient of this funding. She is studying the environmental-biological pathways of premature aging in transportation and construction workers and workers’ perspectives toward climate change policies.
The Climate Change, Aging, and Health Across the Life Course Workshop was funded by a National Institute on Aging grant that UW–Madison’s Center for Demography of Health and Aging applied for in collaboration with the Texas Resource Center for Minority Aging Research and the Claude Pepper Older Americans Independence Center at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
–Paula Bizot; photos provided by the UW–Madison Center for Demography of Health & Aging
Interested in learning more about research at the nexus of aging and climate change? Please contact Dr. Michal Engelman at mengelman@wisc.edu.