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Guest Editorial: Terrorism and Aging

2002; Oxford University Press; Volume: 57; Issue: 9 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/gerona/57.9.m552

1758-535X

Judith A. Salerno, Christa F. Nagy,

Health and Conflict Studies

VER the course of a few hours on September 11, 2001 (9/11), life as Americans knew it changed irrevocably. Terrorists hijacked three commercial aircraft with a number of passengers on board and deliberately crashed them into landmark American buildings: two into New York’s World Trade Towers, a symbol of America’s financial and commercial dominance, and one into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. A fourth was hijacked and later crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, most likely during a struggle between hijackers and passengers. These events unfolded in real time on national television as at least 80 million Americans—the exact number may never be known—looked on (1), and images of the resulting death and destruction were broadcast nonstop over the airwaves and chronicled in newspapers and magazines over the subsequent days and weeks. Shortly thereafter, envelopes containing Bacillus anthracis spores were mailed to several government and media addresses. Between September and November 2001, 18 individuals contracted cutaneous or inhalation anthrax, and five died. Thousands more received prophylactic antibiotic treatment due to suspected exposure to B. anthracis . Disturbingly, at least two women who died of inhalation anthrax had no affiliation with either media or government; the mode of transmission in these cases remains unknown. The fact that the source of these mailings has not been identified has left open the possibility of further, similar acts. Uncertainty over the source of the anthrax, the odds of infection, and the probability of further spread of anthrax or other biological agents has caused considerable concern among many Americans and has been widely chronicled in the media. These unprecedented events have had profound and farreaching effects on American citizens, and researchers are beginning to document these effects on various segments of the U.S. population. Intensive (although not exclusive) attention has been paid to the repercussions on children and adolescents. However, the effects—physical and psychological, immediate and long-term—of the terrorist attacks specifically on older Americans are not fully known and remain understudied. Older Americans may have special physical, social, and emotional needs in the wake of a terrorist attack that differ from those of younger people. In this study, we survey what little is known about older people’s response to these events, as well as scientific literature documenting their response to similar events. We suggest lessons learned, or perhaps yet to be learned, by the community that cares for older people. A better understanding of older Americans’ response to the 2001 terrorist activities will help us meet their long-term needs related to the events of late 2001 and will also help us in the event of future attacks.