Identifying how older adults’ resilience capacities were enabled or compromised in the context of disasters: a scoping review

Introduction: The increasing frequency and intensity of disasters under climate change, and global rapid population ageing, draws urgency to how we support older adults in disaster contexts. Existing disaster management studies, practices and policies often narrowly portray older adults as “vulnerable” populations requiring additional support. These reflect age-related fragilities yet often overlooks their cumulative life experiences, agency, and contributions to community disaster preparedness, response and recovery. Methods: This scoping review explores how social and community support influenced older adult resilience to environmental disasters. Using the Recovery Capitals framework, the review narratively synthesised how these supports shifted the resources, or "capitals” available to older adults and their communities.Results: Forty-nine English-language articles were included with a range of environmental disaster types globally, exploring how the provision of support to, by and among older adults influenced their resilience capacities and vulnerabilities. Social, human and built capitals were widely captured, while natural capital was rarely discussed. Cultural and political capitals were considered limiting factors to resilience, yet few studies described how supports may enhance it. Conclusion: The findings highlight the dynamic, interconnected systems through which older adults provide, receive and collectivise support. Future research is recommended into apparent evidence gaps (supporting natural, cultural, and political capital) and advancing how interventions and policies can be designed beyond linear theories of change, and towards enabling long-term resilience systemically through the interconnected social relationships and structures present within older adult communities, and their interdependence with the range of recovery capitals.