From the University of Michigan and the striking department of climate science,,,,, Because asking a doctor about bad weather is the stupidest thing you can do. In billions of dollars, weather is not climateWoolen cloth
Weather emergency affects older people's perceptions of climate and health
People over 50 who have experienced extreme weather events recently are more likely to express concern about the health impact of climate change
A new University of Michigan poll found that nearly three out of four Americans have experienced at least one extreme weather event over the past two years. Living through events like this seems to have a big impact on how they view the potential impact of climate change on health.
New findings from the National Aging Poll show that 59% and more people are worried about how climate change affects their health.
This percentage is higher among people living in weather emergencies such as wildfires, extreme heat, severe storms or power outages lasting more than one day. Overall, 70% of those who have experienced at least such activities in the past two years have expressed concerns about climate change and health, while 26% of those who did not participate in such activities.
Other older groups are also more likely to say they are concerned about the health effects of climate change, including women, reporting fair or poor mental health, and those living in urban areas.
However, only 6% of people over 50 talk to healthcare providers about how extreme weather may affect their health and how they prepare or protect themselves.

The discovery offers more opportunities for older people to ask their doctors and other health care providers about how to protect their lungs from wildfire smoke, how to prepare for power that long-term damage to their medications or power their medical devices, or how to know how to find cooling centers, find cooling centers and emergency shelters in the community.
“Our findings suggest a need to help more older adults understand and take steps to prepare for the impacts of wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, extreme heat waves, winter storms and more, especially when it comes to the medicines, medical supplies, electricity and access to care that these emergencies can disrupt,” says Sue Anne Bell, Ph.D., FNP-BC, a nurse practicer and associate professor at the UM School of Nursing who worked with poll team. Bell specializes in the impact of older people on disasters and public health emergencies.
The poll is located at the UM Institute of Healthcare Policy and Innovation and is supported by the UM Academic Medical Center Michigan Medicine.
In addition to the national poll report, the team also collected data for Michigan adults aged 50 and older, compared to other states; interactive data visualizations can be obtained at https://michmed.org/mdkq2. An article summarizing Michigan's findings can be found at https://michmed.org/28dbd.
The poll was conducted in August 2024, ahead of some of the most extreme emergencies related to climate in the past year, such as Hurricane Helen in September (the deadliest hurricane since Hurricane Katrina in 2005) and wildfires in the Los Angeles area in January 2025.
Overall, 2023 and 2024 are almost closely related to the number of weather and climate disasters, with over $1 billion in costs and the number of such disasters has increased in the lives of today’s older people.
In addition to focusing on their own health, 74% of people aged 50 and older are concerned about the potential impact of climate change on future generations. Among them is 43% who say they are very worried, and 31% who are a little worried.
Older people living in weather emergencies over the past two years are more likely to express concern for future generations, with 83% saying they are worried, compared with 45% of those who have not experienced weather emergencies.
Extreme calories are the most common extreme weather event for poll respondents, with 63% saying they have experienced at least one major heat wave in the past two years. The most common poor air quality due to wildfire smoke is 35%, while 31% of the air is trapped in severe storm paths. Prolonged power outages (lasting more than one day) are the most common at 13%; power outages may be caused by factors other than extreme weather.
The poll also asked the elderly that climate change has the greatest impact on the future. The most cited potential future impacts are the more extreme heat events (70%), followed by air pollution and poor air quality (69%), basic infrastructure (such as electricity and water) (68%), more frequent severe storms (68%), and changes in infectious diseases (66%) (66%).
“This type of event could directly affect the health of older people – for example, people with asthma and other lung diseases may have difficulty breathing due to wildfire smoke, home medical equipment may be affected by power outages, and older people may be more susceptible to extreme heat and cold,” said the magazine of poll director Jeffrey Kullgren, MD, MD, MSS Internallian, MS, in the magazine of Internallian a andian Ann Ann Arar Arary Ander Ann Arnian Ann Arnar Artar Ander Ann Arner Ander Ander Ander Ander Ander Ander Ander Ander Ander Ander Ander Ander Ander Ander Ander Ander Ander Arran Arbor, yes.
“However, there are also indirect effects, including mental stress, lack of medication and medical services, and in extreme cases, the lack of ability to safely evacuate or find shelter,” he added.
“Planning and preparing for emergencies is especially important for people with complex health conditions and disabilities who should seek advice from their regular health care providers and information from their local and state emergency authorities,” Bell noted.
Respondents who reported health problems or disabilities said they were more likely to talk to health care providers about how to prepare for climate-related emergencies, at 8% and 5%. Of all older people who have conducted such discussions, 64% have taken at least one action to prepare.
The U.S. government's Ready.gov website provides information on how to prepare for and respond to extreme weather events and other emergencies.
Bell has previously worked with the poll team to explore what older people do to prepare for emergencies; read the report here.
The poll results came from a nationally representative survey of IHPI by NORC at the University of Chicago and among 3,486 adults in the United States via telephone in August 2024, adults aged 50 to 94 in the United States subsequently weighted the sample to reflect the American population. Read past polls about healthy aging reports and polling methods.
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