Los Angeles wildfires leave older patients vulnerable

Los Angeles wildfires leave older patients vulnerable 
Direct Relief - California Wildfires; by Talya Meyers; 1/22/25 
The radio announcer said nursing home residents were being evacuated to the Pasadena Convention Center, so Dr. Laura Mosqueda headed over. Older adults were arriving at the evacuation shelter with hair and hospital gowns covered in ash. People urgently needed to be on oxygen — in a large convention hall with few electrical outlets — or their catheters were getting full but responders didn’t have gloves. ... Some patients were in hospice and end-of-life care, and getting them placed more comfortably was an urgent priority. ...
The wildfires that ripped across Southern California communities this month will hurt the health of millions — causing everything from short-term respiratory symptoms to long-term adverse outcomes from chronic disease — but older adults will likely be among the most vulnerable. ... [And with that,] Dr. Mosqueda cautioned that while older adults may be more likely to be medically fragile, many aren’t. Many have perspectives that help them navigate frightening, uncertain situations like the wildfires. “Older adults…were among the most calm and circumspect people I spoke with,” she recalled. “They just had a lot of wisdom and life experience, and they weren’t getting freaked out. They had so many internal resources.”