Socio-demographic data of older adults.

The Puerto Rican population has presented demographic changes resulting in a greater proportion of older adults than almost any other country in the world, with an estimated 28% of the total population being over 60 years of age. A key public health issue in Puerto Rico (PR) is older adults’ mental health and wellbeing. Located in the Caribbean, PR is prone to natural hazards such as hurricanes, which are a known threat to older adults’ overall health and wellbeing. However, the needs of older adults in PR and their mental health have been largely neglected, especially in less visible and marginalized rural areas. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to examine the challenges and needs of older adults following Hurricane María in the rural towns of Adjuntas and Castañer, PR. We implemented an exploratory qualitative research design informed by the principles of Liming methodology. We used semi-structured interviews to gather data and analyzed it using thematic analysis. A total of 25 participants engaged in our interview process including older adults (n = 15) and community caregivers and leaders that provide services to older adults (n = 10). We present three main themes regarding older adults’ experiences after Hurricane María: 1) Challenges to wellbeing (i.e, loneliness, lack of resources), 2) Relational solidarity (i.e., communal support, equitable resource sharing) and 3) La brega (i.e., adaption and autogestión). Older adults in Adjuntas and Castañer addressed the emergent challenges after Hurricane María such as loneliness and lack of resources by relying on their communities. These findings highlight the role of community support as a key component to understand and foster older adults’ wellbeing following a natural hazard.

波多黎各（Puerto Rico, PR）的人口结构已发生显著转型，其老年人口占比几乎位列全球各国之首，据估算，60岁以上人口占总人口的28%。波多黎各老年人的心理健康与福祉是当地一项关键公共卫生议题。地处加勒比海地区的波多黎各极易遭受飓风等自然灾害侵袭，而这类灾害已知会对老年人的整体健康与福祉构成威胁。然而，波多黎各老年人的需求及其心理健康状况在很大程度上被忽视，尤其是在鲜少受到关注、处于边缘地位的农村地区。因此，本研究的核心目标是，探究波多黎各阿顿卡斯（Adjuntas）与卡斯塔涅尔（Castañer）农村城镇在飓风玛丽亚（Hurricane María）过后，当地老年人面临的挑战与实际需求。我们采用了以利明方法论（Liming methodology）原则为指导的探索性质性研究设计，通过半结构化访谈（semi-structured interviews）收集数据，并运用主题分析法（thematic analysis）开展数据分析。本次访谈共招募25名参与者，其中老年人15名，以及为老年人提供服务的社区护理人员与社区领袖10名。我们提炼出了飓风玛丽亚过后老年人经历的三大核心主题：1）福祉面临的挑战（即孤独感、资源匮乏）；2）社群团结（即社区互助、公平的资源共享）；3）La brega（即适应与自主管理）。阿顿卡斯与卡斯塔涅尔的老年人依托自身社区，应对了飓风玛丽亚过后涌现的孤独感与资源匮乏等各类挑战。本研究结果凸显了，在自然灾害过后，社区支持作为理解并助力提升老年人福祉的关键要素所发挥的重要作用。