FAQ #28120

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My wife and I care for our adult developmentally disabled daughter. When she hears about an impending disaster, she simply falls apart. How can we help her cope?

Related resource areas: Family Caregiving, Agrosecurity and Floods

A disaster, or even the threat of a disaster, can be upsetting to everyone, but it is often more upsetting for those who don't clearly understand the situation.

Experts recommend the following strategies that could help your daughter cope:
* Keep normal sleeping and meal schedules.
* Minimize talk about the status of the disaster.
* If you are unable to go out as normal, create activities at home to pass the time.
* Limit watching the news and weather forecasts to a specific time of day rather than keeping the television or radio on all day long.

For more specific information, go to the University of Florida publication "Disaster Planning Tips for Caregivers of the Elderly and People with Disabilities": http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FY751.

You may also find information for people with specific disabilities through the American Red Cross: www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_60_,00.html.

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