Emergency Management Information Self Preparedness Package: Outcomes from a Regional and Rural Seniors Project
Tracks
Monarch Room
| Tuesday, July 15, 2025 |
| 11:40 AM - 12:00 PM |
Overview
Dr Melissa Taylor, University of Southern Queensland
Details
Key Presentation Learnings:
1. Self preparedness of seniors in community provided ownership and responsibility locally.
2. Empowerment through increasing health literacy in community improved autonomy and respect for emergency preparedness.
3. Emergency preparedness was better actioned when meaning and translation to the community was better understood.
Speaker
Dr Melissa Taylor
Associate Professor Nursing
University Of Southern Queensland
Emergency Management Information Self Preparedness Package: Outcomes from a Regional and Rural Seniors Project.
Abstract
Aim: To implement and evaluate a medical emergency toolkit in regional Australia. The project aims to improve health literacy, and self-preparedness of Seniors and local disaster management staff.
Background: The Australian weather is unpredictable with severe storms, floods, and fire. Preparedness for weather events is complex in regional areas of Australia as distance between towns is vast. The emergency medical information toolkit prepares Seniors with accessible health information for use in emergencies. Volunteering Queensland identified a low awareness of disaster planning in Seniors and high expectations that family, friends and emergency services would initiate support during a disaster. The Southeast Queensland disaster preparedness report highlighted 45% of households have an emergency kit.
Method: A participatory, co-designed evaluation project through a self-preparedness education toolkit in four local Council areas in South-East Queensland was implemented and evaluated. Surveys and in-depth qualitative interviews sought to gain an understanding of consumer and staff experience of self-preparedness.
Results: Results share the value of empowering Seniors in conversations with the tools to enable self-preparedness within the limitations of chronic disease management, frailty, and choice. Conversation starters from Seniors with neighbours, family and local disaster teams identified a need for more collective planning that self-empowered Seniors to self-prepare health and well-being needs.
Conclusion: This presentation shares the outcomes of the project. Results indicate the need for inclusion and responsiveness for seniors to improve self-preparedness approaches to emergency and disaster planning. Outcomes indicate programs that link seniors with emergency preparedness practices that promote autonomy and respect are positively received.
Background: The Australian weather is unpredictable with severe storms, floods, and fire. Preparedness for weather events is complex in regional areas of Australia as distance between towns is vast. The emergency medical information toolkit prepares Seniors with accessible health information for use in emergencies. Volunteering Queensland identified a low awareness of disaster planning in Seniors and high expectations that family, friends and emergency services would initiate support during a disaster. The Southeast Queensland disaster preparedness report highlighted 45% of households have an emergency kit.
Method: A participatory, co-designed evaluation project through a self-preparedness education toolkit in four local Council areas in South-East Queensland was implemented and evaluated. Surveys and in-depth qualitative interviews sought to gain an understanding of consumer and staff experience of self-preparedness.
Results: Results share the value of empowering Seniors in conversations with the tools to enable self-preparedness within the limitations of chronic disease management, frailty, and choice. Conversation starters from Seniors with neighbours, family and local disaster teams identified a need for more collective planning that self-empowered Seniors to self-prepare health and well-being needs.
Conclusion: This presentation shares the outcomes of the project. Results indicate the need for inclusion and responsiveness for seniors to improve self-preparedness approaches to emergency and disaster planning. Outcomes indicate programs that link seniors with emergency preparedness practices that promote autonomy and respect are positively received.
Biography
Melissa is an experienced registered nurse, academic and researcher focused on older persons, and ageing. She engages with community in translation research that seeks practical solutions to everyday problems. My research focus seeks to improve systems and process that improve care to community through workforce directions, health literacy and policy change. Melissa is proficient in qualitative and mixed methodology. She leads the West Moreton Older Persons Care Collaboratives at UniSQ working with local Councils, health services and organisations to improve translation of preparedness processes in the local community.
