Guidelines for non-medical care providers to manage the first steps of emergency triage of elderly evacuees.

On 11 March 2011, a strong earthquake occurred off of Japan's Pacific coast and hit northeastern Japan. The earthquake was followed by huge tsunamis, which destroyed many coastal cities. As a result, the Study Group on Guidelines for the First Steps and Emergency Triage to Manage Elderly Evacuees quickly established guidelines enabling non-medical care providers (e. g. volunteer, helpers, and family members taking care of elderly relatives), public health nurses, or certified social workers to rapidly detect illnesses in elderly evacuees, and 20 000 booklets were distributed to care providers in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures. The aim of this publication is to reduce susceptibility to disaster-related illnesses (i.e. infectious diseases, exacerbation of underlying illnesses, and mental stress) and deaths in elderly evacuees. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2011; 11: 383-394.