Racialized Aging in the Context of Climate Extremes: Post-Flood Healthy Aging and Recovery Among Older Adults in Quilombola Communities of Southern Brazil

Background: In recent years, the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, has experienced increasingly severe flooding, culminating in the unprecedented 2024 disaster. This study examines how the 2024 flooding impacted key dimensions of healthy aging among Quilombola older adults, with attention to quality of life, health disruptions, coping strategies, and governance processes shaping recovery. Methods: We conducted a community-based, mixed-methods study with 32 Quilombola adults aged 55 years and older in flood-affected territories of Southern Brazil. Data included structured interviews using the WHOQOL-BREF, a tailored Quilombola Flood Impact and Governance Module, in-depth narrative interviews, and field observations. Analyses were guided by critical gerontology and environmental justice frameworks. Results: Participants reported poor physical, psychological, and environmental quality of life, marked disruptions to health care access, prolonged displacement, and extensive territorial loss. Social relationships emerged as a protective domain, reflecting strong community solidarity. Qualitative findings revealed how environmental degradation, fragmented disaster governance, and cumulative life-course inequalities intensified health vulnerabilities, while traditional knowledge and collective agency supported coping and resilience. Conclusions: Flooding constitutes a socially produced risk that undermines healthy aging in Quilombola ter-ritories. Integrating critical gerontology and environmental justice highlights the need for equity-centered disaster risk reduction, territorial protection, and age-sensitive public health policies to support aging with dignity in climate-vulnerable contexts.