Faculty mentor/PI email address
ElizabethTran.Phung@va.gov
Keywords
older veterans, rural health, costal flooding, environmental barriers, equitable care
Date of Presentation
5-6-2026 12:00 AM
Poster Abstract
Purpose: To describe a case in which an elderly veteran was unable to receive necessary health services due to environmental factors and routine natural disaster in his rural coastal town. Methods: A case report is presented. Results: A 95 year-old WWII veteran with a complex medical history and numerous disabilities including hearing impairment, visual impairment, and chronic pain struggles to receive proper care as he lives in a small coastal town. The patient’s son lives an hour away and this area is prone to flooding, making accessing health services extremely challenging. In order to respect the patient’s wishes to remain in this area, he was enrolled in a home health services program so that he may be connected to a practitioner. However, any physical therapy, occupational therapy or nursing aide was still unavailable to the patient due to the flooding. Conclusions: There are limited health services available to veterans in areas that are natural disaster prone and current VA services are not fully addressing the issue.
Disciplines
Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Medicine and Health Sciences | Rural Health
YouTube Video Link
Challenges for Older Veterans in Disaster-Prone Rural Areas
Purpose: To describe a case in which an elderly veteran was unable to receive necessary health services due to environmental factors and routine natural disaster in his rural coastal town. Methods: A case report is presented. Results: A 95 year-old WWII veteran with a complex medical history and numerous disabilities including hearing impairment, visual impairment, and chronic pain struggles to receive proper care as he lives in a small coastal town. The patient’s son lives an hour away and this area is prone to flooding, making accessing health services extremely challenging. In order to respect the patient’s wishes to remain in this area, he was enrolled in a home health services program so that he may be connected to a practitioner. However, any physical therapy, occupational therapy or nursing aide was still unavailable to the patient due to the flooding. Conclusions: There are limited health services available to veterans in areas that are natural disaster prone and current VA services are not fully addressing the issue.