Statement Of Robyn Gilden

Environmental Protection Agency
Aging Initiative Public Listening Session
Baltimore, Maryland
May 7, 2003

Robyn Gilden, RN, MS
Environmental Health Education Center
University of Maryland School of Nursing

Topic: Elderly and Environmental Justice

I am an environmental health registered nurse here at University of Maryland School of Nursing. Nurses are just now beginning to actively participate at the intersection of health and the environment. I am delighted that this forum is being held at the School of Nursing.

My role is to work with communities to empower them to participate in hazardous waste site cleanups by providing skills training and interpreting information. Through this work I see the effects, daily, of environmental impacts on health and quality of life for these communities. More importantly, I see the cumulative impact of environmental exposures plus the impact of environmental justice issues. When you add into to that the special vulnerabilities of an aging community the obstacles become daunting.

Consider an elderly community struggling to balance a fixed income against the need for food, rent, and medicines while at the same time trying to keep their families out of harms way from drugs and violence. Threats to their health from the environment (soil, air, or water) may not even make the radar screen. These threats are, however, extremely important to the well being of the community.

Once a community (any community, not just an elderly one) becomes aware of an environmental problem, they are faced with trying to figure who at the local, state, and federal level of government and non-government agencies they can go to for help and information. This web is not easily untangled and it changes depending on what site and what community. Part of my job is to try and map this intricate network to make it easier for communities and I often have a difficult time with it. Communities need an ombudsman specifically assigned to help them with this process.

Another barrier for the elderly when faced with environmental hazards is that they are often not as mobile as younger community members and may not have the resources to remove themselves from harms way. They are also accustomed to their surroundings and may not be able to handle the physical and emotional stress of relocating to a new environment. So they stay, and they watch as housing values drop in association with environmental degradation and their only possession and legacy to their children slips away.

A final concern related to the elderly population is that it is not usually an automatic public impulse to protect this group. Unlike children, elderly are not on the forefront of the legislative and regulatory consciousness. One group, however, that routinely advocates for the health and safety of elderly is nursing. Along with children and pregnant women, the elderly are a special subgroup that nurses have competency and credibility in working with. Nurses can be a vital resource in reaching out to and working with the elderly on environmental impacts and protection of health.

We, as a country, need help understanding the unique issues of the aging as well as support to engage and empower them to work for improvement in their neighborhoods. They are an untapped resource to collaborate with, but also demand our focused attention on their special needs and threats to their health.

Thank you.

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