Two faculty members study aging families in Katrina aftermath

Abstract

During Hurricane Katrina, the media reported about abandoned nursing home residents, older adults who refused to leave their own abodes, and the needs of grandparent-led families. Since then, however, not much information has been gleaned about the elderly in the devastated region. Researchers Karen Roberto and Tammy Henderson, both faculty members at the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech, are teaming with Yoshinori Kamo, a sociology professor from Louisiana State University, to identify factors that influence how aging families function as they struggle to regain a sense of normalcy.