Personal Disaster and Emergency Support Networks of Older Adults in a Rural Community: Changes After Participation in a Preparedness Program

This study evaluated PrepWise, a disaster preparedness training program for rural older adults, and examined how it strengthened their personal emergency support networks. Older adults are highly vulnerable during disasters, especially in rural areas where services and responders may be delayed. Before training, participants relied mainly on family members for emergency support. After the one-hour intervention, participants expanded their networks—adding new support contacts and identifying additional sources of help, particularly trusted friends and neighbors. Frequent communication and strong emotional and instrumental relationships predicted who was seen as emergency support. The findings suggest preparedness programs should actively help older adults build and formalize personal support networks to improve resilience.