Spirituality and Elderly, Black, Hurricane Katrina Survivors

Since the publication of my book, "Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes,” I have spoken to a cross-section of groups from healthcare, academic, and general public arenas. Clergy members have often been in attendance. As a hospice volunteer, I am careful not to impose any religious views on my patients, but patients do request counseling from clergy members about religion and spirituality.

I was reminded of this when I read some research about older, black, Katrina survivors. New Orleans is my hometown, and I am particularly concerned about the slow recovery progress, which I witnessed firsthand again during a recent visit there. As I stated in previous posts, elderly residents who have remained in New Orleans or who have evacuated across the country have often experienced difficult adjustments.

The research I read explored coping strategies of these older evacuees living at a retirement apartment complex in Texas. The study states, “Without exception, the findings indicate that this population coped with Katrina and its aftermath through reliance on a Higher Power.” It explains further that the relationship with a Higher Power was not necessarily connected with church membership. This is important because many people who are spiritual are not religious in the church-going sense.

These are the spiritual coping themes that resulted from a series of interviews with these older Katrina survivors:

“1) regular communication with a supernatural power; 2) miracles of faith through this source of guidance and protection; 3) daily reading of the Bible and various spiritual and devotional materials; and 4) helping others as a consequence of faith and devotion to a supreme being.” During traumatic times, spirituality clearly promotes emotional resilience for many.

You can read more about this University of North Texas study at this website.

Frances Shani Parker, Author
"Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes”
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Hurricane Katrina: Nursing Home Evacuation Lessons Learned

It’s been two years since Hurricane Katrina and broken levees caused catastrophic flooding in Louisiana. Most nursing homes did not evacuate residents. Those too ill to sustain the tragedy died as hours of waiting to be rescued turned into days and nights of horror. Nursing home administrative directors plan for future emergency disasters by learning from these experiences.

This 2007 research study, which included Louisiana nursing homes in parishes affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, reports these results in the “Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.” The design included twenty in-depth telephone interviews followed by a focus group conducted in New Orleans, my hometown.

Nine of 20 nursing homes evacuated before the hurricanes, and 11 sheltered in place. Six additional nursing homes evacuated following the storms. The most common perceived consequences related to the evacuation process were resident morbidity or mortality (6 of 15), transportation issues (5 of 15), and staffing deficiencies (3 of 15). Common findings among the nursing homes that sheltered in place included supply shortages (8 of 11), facility damage (5 of 11), and staffing issues (4 of 11).

These were the conclusions, which centered around four general themes:

1) Directors felt abandoned by the state and federal emergency response apparatus during and after the hurricanes. They continue to feel that nursing homes are not a priority.

2) There is substantial physical and technical difficulty in evacuating frail nursing home residents.

3) Staff retention remains a critical problem, regardless of the evacuation decision.

4) There are key "lessons learned" that can be incorporated into future disaster planning.

You can listen to information at NPR.org.
regarding the negligent homicide trial of owners of St. Rita Nursing Home where 35 elderly residents drowned.

Frances Shani Parker
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Elderly Hurricane Katrina Evacuee (Video 1:27 mins.)

What happens when you’re ninety-two years old and a Hurricane Katrina evacuee? For many of the elderly, the hardships of evacuating and relocating have been overwhelming. The loss of family, friends, possessions, and a way of life, along with chronic insecurity about the future, have taken a serious toll on them physically, mentally, and emotionally. While not listed in the official hurricane death count, it’s common knowledge that significant numbers of the elderly who have died during the two years after the hurricane were victims whose deaths were escalated by hurricane related causes.

Many of the elderly have survived with battered spirits and bodies. One elderly man’s story is told in this video titled “St. Bernard Project Rebuilding New Orleans Post-Katrina.”

Frances Shani Parker, Author
"Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes”
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Elderly Healthcare Almost Two Years After Hurricane Katrina (Audio)

This is an update on healthcare of the elderly and others in New Orleans, my hometown, almost two years after Hurricane Katrina. What New Orleans needs most in the area of healthcare is a workforce. There is a severe shortage in medical doctors. In one Mid-City neighborhood, five doctors remain of the 120 practicing there before the hurricane.

While the general population is still far below previous numbers, it is much higher than the number of healthcare workers available. The few remaining hospitals are overcrowded. Large numbers of medical records were destroyed in the floods. Before the hurricane, 2,269 beds existed for acute care patients in Orleans Parish. Only 635 remain today. Many chronic mental patients who need hospital care have few services available. Besides depression, patients are suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse. The suicide rate has tripled.

New walk-in patients often show up with no medical records, no memory of prescriptions they had been taking, and no insurance. A significant number are elderly and on Medicaid. Chronic coughing, related to particles inhaled during cleanup and home renovation, is common. Treating patients is a stressful challenge to doctors, many whose own homes and private practices were destroyed.

As an incentive to increase the number of healthcare professionals, Louisiana is slated to receive a federal grant of $15 million dollars to provide up to $110,000 in payments to primary care doctors and other healthcare workers who move to New Orleans or surrounding areas. The government has a record of being extremely slow in disbursing financial aid in New Orleans.

Dr. Robert Travis Kenny, one of the five remaining Mid-City doctors, states, "I question why people with medical problems would return. Until you have enough hospital beds and the system gets up and running, it's a dangerous place to live for unhealthy people." Unfortunately, many unhealthy, elderly people have no other choice.

Most of the above information about healthcare in New Orleans came from an April 30, 2007 “Los Angeles Times” news article titled “A Post-Katrina Doctor Drought” by Ann M. Simmons.

You can listen to a more detailed account about the treatment of mental health patients in New Orleans at this June 11, 2007 interview titled “New Orleans Mental Health Crisis” at NPR.com

Frances Shani Parker, Author
"Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes”
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Louisiana Road Home Program and Seniors

A New Orleans native, I want to share information on what is really going on there, particularly with senior citizens. Keep in mind that the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has admitted that their failure to construct the levees properly is what caused the flooding of New Orleans, not Hurricane Katrina.

With the hoopla of the Mardi Gras season over, major parts of the city remain in ruins. I recently spoke with a young woman who volunteered for three weeks with the rebuilding there earlier this month. She said she was shocked by how much of the cleanup still hasn’t been done. Less than half of the population before Hurricane Katrina has returned.

What is the Road Home Program?

Briefly, it is the hurricane housing grant program established by Louisiana Governor Blanco in August 2006, a year after Hurricane Katrina. The purpose of the program is to provide assistance to the state’s eligible homeowners who suffered Hurricane Katrina and Rita damage to their homes. To help these homeowners find the “Road Home” as soon as possible, they would be compensated up to $150,000 for their losses. Criteria for eligibility are based on FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) guidelines, depending on damage and other aid they receive. Grants for homeowners who do not reinvest in Louisiana property are docked 40%.

What about senior citizens?

In October 2006, the governor announced that senior citizens (homeowners 65 years and older) who apply for Road Home assistance will not be penalized if they sell out, move out of the state or rent within the state.

Is the “Road Home” really open for immediate access?

These latest program statistics can be viewed at the Road Home News Room Web site: At this rate, it will take years before all applicants receive the financial assistance they have desperately needed since fall 2005. Many seniors will have died waiting for the "Road Home" to open for them.

Frances Shani Parker
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog