Part 1 The Calos-Clark Family
1.5 Calos-Clark family case study 4: Climate emergency impacts Giani and Jay’s health
Jennene Greenhill and Anna Foster
Introduction to case study
Learning Objectives
By the end of this case study, you should be able to:
- Understand the impacts climate emergencies can have on acute and chronic conditions.
- Consider the changing distribution of illnesses associated with climate events.
- Articulate the role of the nurse in caring for and advocating for people experiencing climate emergencies.
Scenario
As Jay and Giani return home after discharge following Giani’s total knee replacement, they prepare to launch their legal battle to protect their home and assets from Jules and Quinn.
The lawyer suggests having their house and belongings valued in case they need to sell in the future. They move everything out of the garage and out from under the house to prepare it for valuation. Jay places everything on the back lawn himself, as Giani is unable to assist during his recovery. Jay’s plan is to either dispose of the items or sell them. Jay heads inside for lunch. He forgets he was going through the items and doesn’t get them sorted.
Before any of their possessions can be moved, sold or put away, a very slow-moving east coast low hits the region. This is followed by a second east coast low a week later that remains almost stationary off the coast. Torrential rain continues for 3 weeks, leading to record flooding across the northern rivers region. The flooding is unlike anything previously experienced where they live in Brunswick Heads, not usually a flood prone area: the yard and lower level of the house are flooded with a combination of storm water runoff filled with debris and flood water from Simpsons Creek containing untreated sewage overflow from the flood damaged sewage plant. The water takes 5 days to fully recede, while Giani and Jay are trapped in the house with bottled water, a portable gas stove, and, luckily, a well-stocked pantry.
Cut off by the flooding, Giani’s community nursing team and his physiotherapist are closed, which has meant he has not been able to continue with his postoperative mobility work. He is also unable to access his community nurse to receive the appropriate wound care. Jay is due to be assessed by an aged care assessment team (ACAT) team for support during his progressing dementia, but this has also been postponed as the team’s offices were destroyed in the flooding. While the team intends to reschedule, they are not certain when that will be.
During the flooding, the town’s infrastructure is badly damaged and Giani and Jay find themselves cut off from town water. They learn that the council is prioritising the repairs to this infrastructure, including the sewerage station. In the meantime, they decide to drink water from the tank Jay had installed in the back garden to water their vegetables. As they are unsure if the tank is contaminated by flood water, they decide to have the water t